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This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


Form  No.   471 


The  Cane  Ridge 
Meeting-house 


By 


James  R.  Rogers 


To  which 
is  appended  the  Autobiography 

of 

B.  W.  Stone 


And  a  Sketch 

of 

David  Purviance 

By 

William  Rogers 

SECOND 
EDITION 


CINCINNATI: 
THE    STANDARD    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 


Copyright,  1910, 

by 
James  R,  Rogers 


Table  of  Contents 


Proem . . 7 

Cane  Ridge,  the  Birthplace  of  a  Faith 9 

THE    CANE    RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

Chapter    I. 

The  Cane  Ridge  Meeting-house — Its  Founder . . ... —     13 

Chapter    II. 

The  Building  of  the  Church 31 

Chapter    III. 

T    e  Graveyard ..  —  -- 41 

Chapter    IV. 

Barton  W.  Stone 51 

A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  BARTON  W.  STONE 

Chapter    I. 

Birth  and  early  education 113 

Chapter    II. 

Enters  Guilford  Academy. — Embraces   Christianity  among  the  Presbyterians — 
Completes  his  academic  course 119 

Chapter    III. 

Becomes  a  candidate  for  the  ministry — Studies  theology  under  Mr.  Hodge,  of 
North  Carolina — Abandons,  for  a  time,  his  theological  studies — Visits  Geor- 
gia— Is  appointed  professor  of  languages  in  a  Methodist  academy  near 
Washington — Returns  to  North  Carolina — Resumes  his  theological  studies 
— Is  licensed  by  Orange  Presbytery  and  sent  to  preach  in  lower  part  of  the 
State — Is  discouraged  — Leaves  his  field  of  labor  and  directs  his  course  west- 
ward— A  variety  of  incidents  on  his  journey  to  Nashville .  126 

Chapter    IV. 

Reaches  Kentucky  and  settles  in  the  close  of  the  year  1796  as  the  preacher  of 
the  congregations  of  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord,  Bourbon  County — Is  appoint- 
ed by  Transylvania  Presbytery  to  visit  the  South  to  solicit  funds  to  establish 
a  college  in  Kentucky-^From  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  he  visits  his 
mothei?  and  returns  to  Kentucky — In  the  fall  of  1798  receives  a  call  (which 


PAGE. 

he  accepts)  from  the  united  congregations  of  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord — 
A  day  is  appointed  for  his  ordination — Refuses  to  receive  the  Confession  of 
Faith  without  qualifications — Is  nevertheless  ordained 143 

Chapter   V. 

His  mind  is  greatly  agitated  by  Calvinistic  speculations— He  re-examines  the 
Scriptures  and  cordially  abandons  Calvinism — Hears  of  a  great  religious 
excitement  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  in  the  spring  of  1801,  and  hastens 
to  attend  a  camp:meeting  in  that  county — Is  astonished  at  the  wonderful 
religious  exercises — Multitudes  confess  the  Saviour — Returns  from  Logan 
filled  with  religious  zeal — Under  his  labors  similar  scenes  occur  at  Cane 
Ridge  and  Concord — Greatexcitement"  and  religious  interest  pervade  the 
community  — Married  to  Elizabeth  Campbell,  July,  1801 — Great  Cane  Ridge 
meeting — Description  of 149 

Chapter   VI. 

An  account  of  the  remarkable  religious  exercises  witnessed  in  the  beginning  of 

the  nineteenth  century  r _. 159 

Chapter   VII. 

Hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  from  excessive  speaking,  etc. — Attends  a  camp-meet- 
ing at  Paris — Meets  with  opposition  —  Frees  his  slaves — Richard  McNemar, 
John  Dunlavy,  John  Thompson,  Robert  Marshall  and  himself  concur  in 
religious  views — Revival  checked  by  opposition — Partyism  rekindled — 
McNemar  tried — Protest  against  proceedings  of  Synod  in  McNemar's  case, 
and  withdrawal  of  Richard  McNemar,  John .  Dunlavy,  John  Thompson, 
Robert  Marshall  and  himself  from  jurisdiction  of  Synod — They  are  sus- 
pended— Form  themselves  into  a  separate  presbytery,  called  Springfield 
Presbytery — Apology  published — Abandons  Presbyterianism —  Surrenders 
all  claim  to  salary — Last  Will  and  Testament  of  Springfield  Presbytery 168 

Chapter    VIII. 

Atonement — Change  of  views — Baptism;  is  himself  immersed — Fanaticism  makes 
considerable  advance— The  Shakers  come— Some  of  the  preachers  and  peo- 
ple led  off 178 

Chapter    IX. 

The  church  has  scarcely  recovered,  from  the  shock  of  Shakerism  when  Marshall 
and  Thompson  become  disaffected — They  endeavor  to  introduce  a  human 
creed — But  failing  they  return  to  the  Presbyterian  Church— Their  character 
— B.  W.  Stone's  only  son  dies,  1809;  his  wife,  in  May,  1810 — Her  pious 
character — Breaks  up  housekeeping — In  October,  1811,  was  married  to  Celia 
W.  Bowen  and  removes  to  Tennessee — Returns  to  Kentucky — Teaches  a 
high  school  in  Lexington — Studies  the  Hebrew  language  — Appointed 
principal  of  the  Rittenhouse  Academy  in  Georgetown — Preaches  in  George- 
town, where  he  founded  a  church  with  a  numerous  congregation — Is  per- 
suaded to  resign  his  station  in  the  academy,  and  devote  his  whole  time  to 
preaching — Teaches  a  private  school  in  Georgetown — Goes  to  Meigs  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  a  Baptist  association  agrees  to  assume  the  name  Christian — 
Remarkable  dream — Travels  in  Ohio,  preaching  to  multitudes  and  baptizing 
many 188 

Chapter   X. 

A.  Campbell  appears — Visits  Kentucky — His  character  and  views — In  1826 
Elder  Stone  commences  the  publication  of  the  Christian  Messenger — In 
1832  John  T.  Johnson  becomes  associated  with  Elder  Stone  as  co-editor  of 
the  Messenger — Continues  in  that  connection  till  B.  \V.  Stone  removes  to 
Illinois — They  succeed  in  uniting  the  churches  in  Kentucky,  whose  mem- 
bers had  invidiously  been  called  "Stonettes"  ami  "Canipbclhtes" —  In  1834 
B.  W.  Stone  removes  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois— Effects  a  union  there  be- 
tween those  called  Christians  and  Reformers 200 

Sketch  of  David  Purviance  by  William  Rogers  ■ 207 


PROEM 


"Here  is  a  region  rare  and  radiant.  Hunt  all  merry 
England  for  vales  of  peace;  search  all  New  England  for 
valleys  of  plenty,  and  there  will  not  come  to  your  finding 
such  reaches  of  beauteous  landscape.  Gently  descending 
from  the  Cumberland  plateau,  which  forms  the  western 
flank  of  the  Kentucky  mountain  region,  are  numberless 
winsome  hills  and  entrancing  valleys.  In  the  heart  of  all 
this  wondrous  garden  is  the  'bluegrass'  country.  On  its 
breast,  like  a  noble  rose  or  a  lustrous  jewel,  rests  the 
royal  county  of  Bourbon. 

"Its  soil,  like  that  of  the  far  valley  of  Guines,  is 
exhaustless  in  opulence.  The  forests  are  mighty  senti- 
nels of  peace.  Its  pasturage  is  the  envy  of  a  continent. 
Its  streams  are  as  ribbons  of  silver  flashing  from  velvet 
of  green.  Its  sinuous  highways  are  poems  in  thorough- 
fares. Its  fountains  and  streams,  unkempt  by  man,  leap 
murmurously  from  a  myriad  rocks  and  roadside  coverts. 
Its  fine  stone  walls  and  rail  fences  are  idyls  to  pastoral 
toil.  All  its  seasons  round  are  Arcadian.  Here  the 
spring  is  an  ecstasy  of  bud  and  bloom  and  song.  Sum- 
mers are  nature's  psalms  of  God.  The  autumn  is  splen- 
did in  its  housings  of  the  fruited  world.  Its  very  winters 
are  balm.  Its  mansions  have  that  largeness  and  ampli- 
tude which  gladden  the  heart.  They  possess  that  age 
which  engenders  and  hallows  honest  home  pride  and 
love.  The  firesides  are  inglenooks  of  largeness  and  con- 
tent.    The  women  of  these  homes  are  American  types, 


8  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

most  glorious  in  physical  perfection  and  winsome  in 
gracious  courtliness.  The  men  of  these  homes  are  noble 
of  frame,  strong  of  arm,  brave  of  heart  and  lofty  of  soul. 
Who  enters  here  leaves  care  behind.  Who  remains  is 
rested  and  healed.  Who  comes  and  tarries  and  goes  has 
mended  his  pace  and  carried  back  into  his  workaday 
world  a  better  content  and  a  safer  calm." 


CANE  RIDGE,  THE  BIRTHPLACE  OF  A  FAITH 


The  story  of  a  birthplace  of  a  faith  had  its  conception 
and  realization  here  at  Cane  Ridge.  The  mutations  of 
time  have  emphasized  their  sad  effects  upon  the  fortunes 
of  her  congregations.  Her  worthy  offspring  on  all  sides 
of  the  parental  roof  have  so  absorbed  her  territory  and 
restricted  her  membership  that,  bowing  her  hoary  head 
in  submission  to  the  inevitable,  she  bestows  a  mother's 
blessing  upon  their  increasing  numbers  in  their  chosen 
fields  of  Christian  endeavor.  Fashioned  by  pioneers  on 
heroic  lines,  with  proud  resignation  she  calmly  awaits 
her  inevitable  fate. 


The  Cane  Ridge  Meeting-house 


CHAPTER    I. 

The  Cane  Ridge  Meeting-house — Its  Founder. 

The  eventful  history  of  Cane  Ridge  Meeting-house 
necessarily  involves  a  sketch  of  the  founder,  Robert  W. 
Finley,  and  a  reference  to  the  authority  by  right  of  dis- 
covery of  him  who  bestowed  upon  the  region  adjacent 
the  baptismal  appellation  of  the  Cane  Ridge.  It  was  the 
favorite  hunting-ground  of  Kentucky's  great  pioneer,  her 
first  soldier  and  citizen,  Daniel  Boone,  a  native,  as  was 
Finley,  of  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  a  man  whose  inflexible 
will  and  undaunted  courage  first  secured  a  foothold, 
maintaining  it  against  every  assault  of  a  savage  foe 
until  statehood  crowned  his  patriotic  effort  with  the  suc- 
cess his  hardihood  and  valor  had  achieved.1  A  band  of 
Boone's  former  neighbors  from  the  valley  of  the  Yatkin, 
North  Carolina,  seeking  homes,  sought  Boone,  inquiring 
"where  the  best  farming  lands  were  to  be  found."  "On 
the  Cane  Ridge ;  the  most  game  is  there,  the  biggest 
sugar-trees  and  the  best  corn  grow  there.  I  think  it  the 
best  farming  lands.  I  gave  it  the  name."  It  may  prove 
of  interest  to  note  the  confirmation  of  Boone's  judgment 
of  soils,  based  on  the  growth  of  sugar-trees  and  corn,  by 
reciting  that  Dr.  Robert  Peter,  State  geologist,  in  his 
analysis  of  soils  from  the  counties  of  Kentucky,   found 


1  Manuscript   of  Peter   Houston,   one   of   the   number. 


i4  THE   CANE  RIDGE  MEETING-HOUSE 

the  richest  to  be  from  Cane  Ridge,  Bourbon  County. 

Robert  W.  Finley,1  the  founder  of  Cane  Ridge 
Church,  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  of  most  re- 
spectable parentage;  his  mother  especially  was  highly 
educated,  well  versed  in  the  languages,  a  lady  of  ac- 
complishments and  devoted  to  the  Colonial  cause.  Re- 
ceiving the  best  preparation  the  locality  afforded,  he  was 
entered  at  Princeton  College,  New  Jersey,  then  presided 
over  by  that  accomplished  scholar  and  distinguished 
patriot,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  After  a  regular  course  he  was  graduated 
and  studied  for  the  ministry,  at  irregular  intervals  teach- 
ing the  languages.  In  due  season  he  was  licensed  by  his 
presbytery  to  preach.  There  being  a  great  demand  for 
ministers  in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  he  volunteered 
his  services  in  those  remote  fields  so  sorely  tried  by  the 
revengeful  fires  of  civil  strife,  which  burned  with  a 
savage  intensity  nowhere  equaled  among  the  colonies. 
Located  in  North  Carolina  in  1777,  he  began  his  mis- 
sionary duties,  establishing  and  restoring  churches  and 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  sore  and  needy,  meeting  with 
great  success,  when  his  mission  of  mercy  and  peace  was 
abruptly  ended  by  the  disastrous  defeat  of  the  patriot 
army  of  General  Gates  at  Camden  by  the  English  under 
Cornwallis  in  1780.2  This  overwhelming  victory  resulted 
in  the  establishment  of  fortified  posts  throughout  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina  at  all  available  strategic  points,  for 
the  purpose  of  overawing  and  subjugating  the  people. 
It  was  a  direct  appeal  to  the  heart  of  every  patriot  to 
strike  for  his  cause  and  kindred,  and  Finley  was  so  im- 
pressed with  the  splendid  fervor  of  his  mother's  patriotic 
spirit  impelling  him  to  action,  that  he  threw  aside  his 


1  James  B.  Finley,  a  son. 

2  Bancroft. 


ITS  FOUNDER  17 

priestly  robes,  shouldered  his  rifle  and  identified  himself 
with  his  country's  cause. 

1  It  had  been  suggested  to  the  accidental  hero  of  Sara- 
toga, by  a  comrade  on  hearing  of  Gates'  appointment  by 
Congress  to  command  the  army  in  the  Southern  depart- 
ment, "Take  care  that  your  laurel  crown  at  Saratoga 
turns  not  to  Southern  willows  in  your  operations  South." 
Prophetic  words  truly !  Washington  appointed  Nathaniel 
Greene  his  successor.  With  this  splendid  leadership, 
aided  by  the  genius  of  Morgan,  Lee  and  others,  the  out- 
posts of  the  enemy  were  subdued  or  turned,  the  territory 
reclaimed,  Cornwallis  beleaguered  by  land  and  sea  at 
Yorktown,  the  sun  of  liberty  arose  upon  a  struggling 
people  and  forever  decreed  an  impregnable  fastness  upon 
America's  shores.2  Finley  meeting  Col.  Daniel  Boone, 
whom  he  had  known  before,  both  being  natives  of  the 
same  county  in  Pennsylvania,  on  one  of  his  return  trips 
to  his  old  home  from  Kentucky,  hearing  a  glowing 
account  of  the  fertility  of  its  lands,  having  laid  aside  the 
equipment  of  war  with  the  emergency  which  brought  it 
forth,  resumed  his  former  ministerial  paths,  which  had 
been  so  ruthlessly  encumbered  "by  grim-visaged  war." 
He  organized  a  small  party  of  his  neighbors,  including 
two  of  his  brothers,  penetrating  the  wilds  of  an  unbroken 
forest  to  see  for  himself  this  abounding  land,  in  the 
season  of  1784.3  He  saw  a  country  marvelously  rich, 
teeming  with  an  unlimited  growth  of  splendid  timber  of 
every  known  variety,  watered  by  innumerable  springs 
and  streams,  with  all  descriptions  of  game  common  to 
the  latitude,  that  he  beheld  with  wonder  and  satisfac- 
tion, the  ideal  of  the  pioneer  and  settler,  the  hunter  and 
trapper.     He  returned  to  his  home  enthusiastic  over  the 


1  "Memoirs  of  Revolution,"   Col.   Henry  Lee. 

2  s  James   B.    Finley. 


18  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

prospects  of  an  immediate  removal  to  the  brakes  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  had  seen  a  growth  of  cane  of  great  area, 
green  and  succulent  the  entire  year,  affording  the  richest 
pasturage  for  stock  in  the  winter  months,  and,  when 
removed  from  the  surface  which  it  cumbered,  exposing  a 
soil  for  opulence  and  productiveness  not  surpassed.  His 
eagerness  to  become  a  settler  in  this  paradise  for  the 
hunter  and  farmer  was  restrained  by  the  seniors  of  his 
family,  who  were  unwilling  to  undergo  the  hardship 
incident  to  a  frontier  settlement.  The  father,  mother 
(Bradley  by  name),  three  of  her  brothers,  who  fell  in 
the  struggle,  and  the  immediate  family  had  located  with 
the  minister  in  North  Carolina.  By  way  of  compromise 
the  family  removed  to  Virginia,  locating  between  the 
waters  of  the  north  and  south  branches  of  the  Potomac 
River.  Here  he  had  charge  of  two  churches.  Xot  con- 
tent with  his  surroundings,  still  yearning  for  pastures 
new,  his  restless  spirit  prompted  a  change  of  abode 
across  the  Allegheny  Range  in  the  Redstone  section,  on 
the  waters  of  George's  Creek,  tributary  to  the  Ohio 
River.  Here  he  had  charge  of  a  church  for  two  years, 
in  which  field  he  labored  with  success  and  satisfaction  to 
his  congregation.  The  salutary  effects  of  the  last  removal 
were  brief.  Visions. of  the  rich  soil  of  the  canebrakers 
westward,  now  that  he  was  upon  the  waters  that  flowed 
in  an  unbroken  current,  defining  the  northern  boundary 
of  that  Eldorado,  with  its  abounding  game  and  rich  pas- 
turage, constantly  glimmered  before  his  eye. 

The  wonderfully  attractive  features  of  that  far-off 
land  proved  irresistible  to  his  wandering  spirit,  and  so  it 
was,  in  the  fall  of  1788,1  following  the  path  blazed  by  the 
genius  of  an  enterprise  which   for  audacity  and  hardi- 


Engiish,  "Conquest  of  Northwest. 


w 

§1 

td  on 
W  O 


- 

*  » 


ITS   FOUNDER  21 

hood  has  no  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  continent,  in 
conception  the  most  brilliant,  in  execution  the  most 
heroic  and  in  material  results  the  most  momentous,  easily 
entitling  its  hero  to  the  distinction  of  the  chief  "Winner 
of  the  West." 

The  political  effects,  so  far-reaching-  and  comprehen- 
sive, of  the  conquest  of  the  Northwest  by  George  Rogers 
Clark,  now  absorbed  by  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan  and  the  eastern  part  of  Wisconsin, 
rendered  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  River  a 
necessity,  and  became  the  ultimate  cause  of  the  Louisiana 
Purchase,  which  extended  the  boundaries  of  the  Union  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  colonists  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  George's  Creek,1 
devout  men  and  women  assembled  to  bid  the  hardy  emi- 
grants farewell  and  bon  voyage  to  the  wilds  of  their  new 
home,  which  they  were  assured  abounded  with  many  fea- 
tures attractive  and  desirable  to  the  pioneer  heart.  After 
songs  and  exhortation,  all  fell  upon  their  knees  in  prayer 
and  supplication  for  aid  and  protection  from  the  dangers 
of  the  river  as  well  as  the  greater  one  arising  from  the 
concealed  savage,  implacable  foe  upon  its  shores.  This 
little  flotilla  of  three  boats  floats  bravely  into  the  current 
of  the  Ohio,  freighted  with  humanity  of  both  sexes  and 
the  extremes  of  age,  proudly  facing  the  west  and  the 
future  and  bidding  adieu  forever  to  the  comforts  and 
civilization  of  the  East.  They  arrived  without  mishap  at 
Limestone  (now  Maysville),  Ky.,  and  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  Washington,  a  few  miles  away.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  1789,  Finley  bought  lands  near  Stocktons 
Station,  near  the  present  site  of  Flemingsburg.  He  and 
his  family  were  not  content  with  their  surroundings ;  they 


James   B.   Finley. 


22  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

had  not  penetrated  the  canebrake  section,  which  fate  had 
reserved  for  their  next  removal,  and  which  event  occurred 
in  the  spring  of  1790,1  and  the  location  of  the  settlement 
was  called  the  Cane  Ridge  of  Bourbon  County,  eight 
miles  distant  from  the  county-seat,  Paris. 

The  cardinal  needs  of  man — "home,  occupation  and  a 
faith,"  as  some  philosopher  has  said — were  fully  illus- 
trated by  our  colonists,  the  first  settlers.  Comfortable  log 
cabins  were  reared,  the  cane  was  cut  and  corn  planted  in 
time  to  mature  that  season.  The  year  following,  1791,2 
the  meeting-house  at  Cane  Ridge  and  its  most  potent  ally, 
the  log-cabin  seminary,  were  built.  The  settlers'  trinity 
of  wants  were  early  demonstrated.  The  gentle  reader  of 
to-day  may  be  inclined  to  assert  that  corn  is  not  a  com- 
plete ration,  sufficient  for  subsistence.  The  suggestion 
is  tendered  that  the  canebrake  occupied  by  the  settlers, 
from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  height,  was  an  unbroken  stretch 
to  Little  Mountain,  the  present  site  of  Mt.  Sterling,  fifteen 
miles  in  an  air  line  and  perhaps  half  as  wide  ;  that  it  was 
the  favorite  lair  of  every  known  variety  of  game,  from 
the  common  gray  squirrel  to  the  buffalo,  and  that  the 
water-courses  abounded  with  fish.  But  for  these  provi- 
sions by  Divine  Providence,  settlements  in  the  West  would 
have  been  delayed  indefinitely.  About  one-half  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  this  locality  were  from  North  Carolina,3 
and  the  reason  is  apparent :  John  Finley,  Kentucky's  first 
pioneer,  coming  here  in  1767,4  returning  to  North  Caro- 
lina in  1769,  conducting  Daniel  Boone  and  party  back  at 
the  close  of  that  year,  and  the  repeated  communications 
between  the  sections  later,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the 
canebrakes  green  throughout  the  year,  but  greenest  in 
winter,  its  rich  pasturage,   the   favorite   feeding-ground 


'James  P>.    Finley.  8 A.    Mitchell. 

2  James    B.    Finley.  'Collins'   "History  of  Kentucky." 


ITS   FOUNDER  23 

and  lair  of  every  known  variety  of  game,  its  numerous 
springs  and  streams,  the  variety  of  timber,  soil  and 
scenery,  were  well  calculated  to  favorably  impress  those 
seeking  homes  in  the  West.1  They  came  with  the  prestige 
of  that  splendid  citizenship  which,  when  the  mother  coun- 
try had  become  oppressive  and  tyrannical  in  her  govern- 
ment, arose  and  became  in  history,  before  the  first  note  of 
the  bugles  of  1776  had  sounded,  the  first  people  to  make 
a  declaration  of  independence  and  to  fight  the  first  battle 
in  its  support.  All  honor  to  North  Carolina,  to-day  the 
purest  Anglo-Saxon  population  within  the  realm  of  the 
starry  banner.2  The  majority  of  the  Carolina  colonists 
were  Presbyterian,3  and  it  was  a  most  happy  conjunction 
on  entering  the  territory  by  way  of  Cumberland  Gap  that 
they  should  become  joint  settlers  of  the  Cane  Ridge  with 
Finley  and  his  band,  who  had  removed  from  North  Caro- 
lina to  Virginia  and  came  by  the  Ohio  River  route.  He* 
soon  organized  two  congregations,  one  at  Cane  Ridge,  the 
other  at  Concord,  adjacent  in  the  order  mentioned,  and 
about  six  miles  apart.  The  site  of  the  latter  and  its 
graveyard  are  still  to  be  seen.  Its  building  is  gone,  but 
the  congregation  yet  lives  in  strength  and  influence  and 
was  transferred  at  an  early  day  to  Carlisle,  Nicholas 
County.  Finley  preached  acceptably  to  this  people,  with 
many  additions,  and  had  sole  charge  of  their  pulpits  until 
his  removal  from  the  State.  The  tide  of  immigration 
from  the  States  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  flowed 
without  interruption.  The  type  was  superior  in  hardi- 
hood, intelligence  and  morality.  They  sought  homes, 
churches  and  schools  ;  here  they  found  them  ;  the  waste 
places  were  being  filled ;  the  population  was  increasing  by 
leaps  and  bounds  ;  the  resounding  echoes  of  the  pioneer's 


1  "History  of  North  Carolina."  3  Alexander   Mitchell. 

2  1900  U.    S.   Census  4  James  B.   Finley. 


24  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

busy  ax  made  entrancing  *nusic  day  by  day  ;  the  crash  of 
the  falling  monsters  of  the  forest  reverberating'  from  hill 
to  valley  were  significant  of  home,  happiness  and  posses- 
sion. Some  of  these  actors  had  been  heroes  in  battle's 
strife  and  had  "snuffed  treason  in  the  tainted  gale"  with 
spirit  undaunted.  A  storm  was  brewing ;  courage  and 
fortitude  were  alike  impotent  to  resist  its  ravages.1  The 
Henderson  Land  Company  had  purchased  the  lands  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  which  comprised  all  of  the  lands 
within  the  present  boundary  of  the  State  of  Kentucky 
east  of  Green  River,  and  the  most  of  the  titles  to  lands  in 
this  section  came  from  the  Henderson  Company.  The  Vir- 
ginia Legislature  refused  to  ratify  the  purchase.  The  set- 
tlers, who  claimed  a  tract  of  land  by  virtue  of  the  transfer 
from  Henderson,  had  no  title.  Then,  again,  the  system 
of  the  early  surveys,  or  rather  the  want  of  it,  became,  in 
effect,  as  fradulent  as  the  Henderson  Company.2  From 
the  time  of  the  first  settlement  in  Kentucky  to  her  admis- 
sion in  the  Union  in  1792,  the  one  limited  professional 
most  in  demand  was  the  land  surveyor ;  even  the  services 
of  George  Washington  had  been  commanded  by  Lord 
Fairfax  in  northeastern  Kentucky  as  early  as  1770.  The 
average  pioneer  surveyor,  in  his  new  field  of  endeavor, 
met  many  unusual  obstacles  which  impaired  the  accuracy 
of  his  surveys.  This  was  a  very  heavily  timbered  section 
and  stakes  at  a  distance  not  readily  seen,  and  the  starting- 
point  of  a  survey,  the  vital  point,  was  usually  a  hickory, 
buckeye  or  oak  tree,  or  else  a  green  stake  driven  in  the 
mellow  soil.  The  field  notes  soon  found  their  way  to 
Williamburg  and  the  Land  Office  issued  a  patent.  Later 
would  appear  a  new  surveyor  with  no  available  means  of 
identifying    the    starting-point    of    any    previous    work. 


Collins'    "History    of    Kentucky." 
"Life    of   Washington." 


ITS   FOUNDER  25 

There  were  forests  of  hickory,  buckeye  and  oak  trees ;  to 
the  novice  they  were  all  alike,  so  the  later  surveyor  would 
often  cover  former  lines  of  work  and  upon  this  the  office 
would  issue  a  patent.  The  inevitable  result  was  litigation.1 
The  dockets  of  the  courts  were  filled  with  contested  land 
suits  for  fifty  years,  and  the  lawyers  reaped  a  wonderfully 
rich  harvest. 

Finley,  with  many  members  of  both  his  flocks,  had 
become  owner  of  more  or  less  land.  Owing  to  defect  of 
transfers,  as  described,  in  order  to  quiet  their  titles  they 
had  been  compelled  to  pay  the  original  purchase  price 
twice,  and  even  thrice.2  They  determined  on  another 
removal.  The  purport  of  the  following  copy  of  the  origi- 
nal letter  is  self-explanatory: 

Bourdon  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  12,  1794. 

Sir: — After  compliments  to  you  I  take  the  liberty  of  address- 
ing you  for  information.  I  understand  you  have  a  large  body  of 
land  on  the  Scioto  and  Paint  Creeks  for  sale.  I  would  be  pleased 
to  know  its  qualities  and  what  advantages  two  large  societies 
could  have.  A  number  have  thought  of  purchasing  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  square  for  the  settlement  of  two  congregations,  and 
I  have  been  informed  that  you  could  supply  us.  Sir,  I  request 
the  favor  of  you  by  Mr.  Rogers,  the  bearer,  to  furnish  me  with 
the  situation,  quantity  and  quality  you  could  sell  and  what  would 
be  your  price  per  hundred  acres,  and  what  your  terms  of  pay- 
ment by  taking  such  a  quantity  of  land  as  would  be  sufficient  to 
settle  two  congregations,  or,  say,  three  hundred  families.  But  it 
is  probable  the  present  circumstances  would  require  some  time  to 
make  a  settlement  with  prudence.  You  will  please  let  me  know 
what  time  this  winter  it  would  suit  your  convenience  to  go  with 
us  and  show  these  lands.  A  number  of  us  would  love  to  see  the 
advantages  the  country  will  afford  for  such  a  settlement.  Your 
compliance  will  much  oblige  your  humble  servant, 

To  Gen.  Nathan  Massie.  Robert  W.  Finley. 

The  following  spring  was  agreed  upon  between  the 


1  Collins'    "History   of   Kentucky."  2  Rev.    James    B.    Finley. 


26  THE    CAKE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

principals  for  an  inspection  of  the  lands.  The  purchase 
was  made.  Finley,  with  great  foresight,  suggests  in  his 
letter  "that  the  condition  of  the  country  would  probably 
require  time  to  make  a  settlement  with  prudence."  These 
proved  prophetic  words.  The  prospectors  and  General 
Massie,  whilst  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  lands  in 
question,  actually  had  an  engagement  with  the  Indians, 
sustaining  some  loss,  but  held  the  field.  The  removal  was 
accomplished  to  Kentucky's  sorrow  the  spring  of  1806. 
Such  were  the  deplorable  results  arising  from  the  want 
of  proper  legislation  by  the  Virginia  Assembly. 

The  removal  of  Finley  to  a  point  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio, 
and  the  large  contingent  from  his  two  congregations, 
which  he  estimates  in  his  letter  to  General  Massie  at  three 
hundred  families,  was  indeed  disastrous  to  the  first  settle- 
ments on  the  Cane  Ridge.  Those  vacant  places,  however, 
were  soon  filled  by  large  drafts  of  exactly  similar  types 
of  people  from  North  Carolina  and  the  mother  State, 
Virginia,  and  among  them  was  quite  an  element  of  the 
Revolutionary  heroes.  From  this  desirable  class  of  popu- 
lation a  further  draft  to  populate  Ohio  was  made  in  1807, 
with  David  Purviance,  a  minister,  at  their  head,  as  in  the 
former  instance,  who  was  one  of  the  ablest  men  ever 
removing  from  Kentucky,  settling  in  Preble  County, 
Ohio.  Their  location  was  named  New  Paris  after  their 
former  county-seat,  Paris,  Ky.  Purviance  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  from  1797  to  1803,  represent- 
ing this  county. 

THE   LOG   CABIN    SEMINARY. 

The  Log  Cabin  Seminary,  founded  by  Finley  contem- 
poraneously with  the  church,  was  situated  due  east  from 
the  latter,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  church, 
near  a   fine   spring,   which  to-day  is  known   as   " Finley 


ITS   FOUNDER  27 

Spring."  ]  Here  he  opened  a  school  where  were  taught 
the  languages  and  higher  branches  of  an  English  educa- 
tion, and  was  the  first  of  its  class  in  the  State.  Many 
students  came  from  a  distance,  and  brief  as  was  its  exist- 
ence, only  about  five  years,  yet  there  was  educated  here  a 
number  of  men  of  the  learned  professions,  who  after- 
wards attained  prominence  and  distinction  in  their  several 
professions.  In  the  pulpit  were  the  Howes,  Robersons, 
McNemar,  Dunlevy,  Welch,  Steele  and  John  Thompson, 
all  of  the  Presbyterian,  and  James  and  John  Finley,  of  the 
Methodist  Church.2  Thompson  and  Dunlevy  had  come 
with  Finley  to  Kentucky  from  Virginia,  and  the  former 
was  the  peer  in  eloquence  and  ability  of  any  minister  of 
the  West  in  his  day.  James  Finley  was  a  man  of  schol- 
arly attainment,  a  master  of  his  vernacular  and  wielded  a 
pen  of  pure  Anglo-Saxon,  whilst  his  brother  John  was 
professor  of  the  languages.3  He  was  president  of  Au- 
gusta College  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  the  medical  department  were  Edministon,  Mitchell 
and  Henderson,4  all  prominent.  In  that  of  law  were 
Robert  Trimble,  Benjamin  Mills  and  Robert  Irwin,  all 
practicing  at  one  time  at  the  Paris  bar ;  Stockton,  Lanier, 
Flannikin  and  others. 

The  seminary  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  having 
two  of  her  graduates,  Trimble  and  Mills,  honoring  seats 
on  the  bench  of  the  court  of  highest  resort,  the  Kentucky 
Court  of  Appeals  ;  and  Judge  Trimble  was  further  hon- 
ored by  becoming  associated  with  Judges  John  Marshall 
and  Storey,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

This  brief  outline  is  all  that  is  known  of  the  unchar- 
tered seminary  in  the  canebrake  of  Cane  Ridge.  Robert 
W.  Finley's  character  and  accomplishments  reflect  most 

1  2  3  James  B.   Finley. 
4  Alexander  Mitchell. 


28  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

creditably  upon  his  pupils,  and  they  were  no  discredit  in 
their  aiter  lives  to  their  teacher.  The  building  was  de- 
stroyed by  lightning  some  years  after,  but  fragments  of 
its  foundation  are  yet  to  be  seen.  Its  occupancy  as  a 
school  was  only  in  the  days  of  its  architect,  and  its  living 
monument  a  few  paces  off  is  the  spring — Finley's  spring. 


.^  ]}. 


THE  BU1LDIXG    OF    TILE    CHURCH  31 


CHAPTER    II. 

The  Building  of  the  Church. 

Cane  Ridge  literally  is  the  watershed  between  the 
two  considerable  streams  of  Stoner  and  Hinkston,  which 
at  their  conjunction,  some  fifteen  miles  from  the  church, 
form  South  Licking  River.  Stoner  Creek  was  named 
after  Michael  Stoner,  a  courageous  Indian  fighter,  asso- 
ciated with  Boone  in  many  of  his  thrilling  adventures. 
The  church  is  about  equidistant  from  the  two  streams, 
and  its  venerable  roof  is  typical  of  its  site,  shedding  its 
waters  on  the  north  to  Hinkston  and  on  the  south  to 
Stoner  Creek.  The  watershed  or  ridge  is  so  gentle  in  its 
elevation  that  one  would  never  suspect  that  the  base  of 
the  church  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet '  higher  than  the 
tallest  steeple  at  Paris,  the  county-seat,  seven  miles  dis- 
tan;.  An  account  of  the  building  of  the  structure,  left  in 
manuscript  by  an  itinerant  minister2  who  lent  his  aid, 
mentions  that  after  suitable  timber  had  been  selected, 
cut,  hewn  and  notched  where  it  fell,  owing  to  the  exces- 
sive growth  of  cane,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  height,  and 
to  its  density,  in  order  to  find  the  location  for  the  build- 
ing it  was  necessary  for  men  to  climb  trees  to  direct  the 
prepared  material  to  the  proper  place.  Its  dimensions 
are  fifty  by  forty  feet,  the  ceiling  fifteen  feet  in  height; 
the  pulpit  occupied  the  center  of  the  north  side,  boxed 
up,  with  entrance  at  the  side  reached  by  several  steps, 
and  its  elevation  was  so  considerable  that  the  speaker 
literally    looked    down    upon    his    audience.      The    main 

1  Triangulation   calculation   by    engineer   in    survey    for   turnpike. 

2  MS.    of   Peter   Houston,    as   quoted   by   his   grandson,    F.    P.    Houston. 


32  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

entrance  was  from  the  west ;  an  aisle  ran  through  the 
center  the  full  length  of  the  building.  An  unusual  fea- 
ture in  this  structure  of  the  olden  time  is  that  there  is  not 
a  log  in  its  side  walls  exceeding  twenty  feet  in  length. 
This  was  made  practicable  by  using  a  short  log  attached 
to  the  main  one  of  twenty  feet,  and  at  a  right  angle  with 
it,  of  six  feet  in  length  ;  then  another  of  ten  feet  at  same 
angle;  one  of  six  feet  back  to  the  original  line;  then 
another  of  twenty  feet,  and  you  have  the  side  wall. 
Years  after  its  dedication  and  use  as  a  house  of  worship 
the  pen,  or  offset,  in  the  south  side,  duplicate  of  the  one 
opposite  in  which  the  pulpit  was  located,  was  permanently 
closed.  My  grandfather,  William  Rogers,  of  blessed 
memory,  whose  honored  remains  are  near  by,  left  among 
his  records  this  outline : 

As  I  first  remember  this  venerable  building  in  1798  there 
was  no  chinking  between  the  logs,  no  glass  in  the  windows  (but 
what  need  of  windows  for  light  or  air?),  the  floors  and  seats 
were  of  puncheons  smoothed  with  broadax,  no  chimneys,  no  fire- 
places, the  roof  and  pulpit  being  of  clapboards ;  and  yet  large 
congregations  of  brave  men  and  pious  women,  comely  maidens 
and  gallant  young  men,  lads  and  lassies,  and  infants  in  their 
mothers'  arms,  greeted  Elder  Stone  those  quiet  Sabbath  morn- 
ings. 

Three  immense  girders,  sixteen  inches  square,  hewn 
with  broadax,  sixteen  feet  apart,  tie  the  walls  of  the 
building  at  the  ceiling ;  and  its  alignment  at  the  height 
of  the  square  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  after  its 
erection  has  no  apparent  variation  from  the  original 
lines.  The  storms  of  more  than  a  century  have  been 
more  successful,  however,  in  their  assaults  upon  her  base, 
which  time  discloses  as  the  weakest  part  of  her  intrench- 
ment,  and  her  floor  of  the  olden  time  has  become  slightly 
undulating.  The  sheathing  was  sawed  with  a  whipsaw, 
one   inch  by    four,   thickness   and   width,   to   which   was 


THE    BUILDING    OF    THE    CHURCH 


:^ 


attached  the  roof  of  clapboards,  held  in  place  by  wooden 
pins.  The  most  highly  prized  relic  of  the  church,  in 
possession  of  the  writer,  is  a  fragment  of  the  original 
sheathing  of  blue  ash  with  square  walnut  pins,  which 
were  driven  to  their  places  in  1791,  broken  off  on  the 
upper  side  where  the  original  board  was  held  in  place, 
but  extending  through  three  inches.  This  rare  specimen 
of  roof  architecture  of  pioneer  times  also  shows  the  next 
evolution  in  roof  structure — -nails  of  iron,  wrought  by 
the  cunning  hand  of  the  neighborhood  smith. 

It  also  had  a  gallery,  and  the  only  means  of  entrance 
was  from  without  by  means  of  an  ordinary  ladder.  The 
most  material  improvement  ever  made  on  the  original 
structure  of  hewn  logs  and  split  boards  of  its  ancient 
roof,  since  fashioned  in  its  unique  way  by  the  hardy 
hands  of  Finley  and  his  pioneer  associates,  had  its  incep- 
tion in  an  appeal  from  a  committee  of  the  church  to  its 
friends  to  render  aid  in  making  it  more  comfortable.  The 
following*  copy  of  the  original  instrument,  with  the  re- 
spondents' names  affixed,  was  found  among  the  papers 
left  by  Elder  William  Rogers,  who  was  an  officer  of  the 
church  for  fifty  years : 

We,  whose  names  are  hereto  subscribed,  agree  and  oblige 
ourselves  to  pay  the  sum  of  money  to  our  names  severally  an- 
nexed, to  Ephraim  Herriott,  Joshua  Irvin  and  William  Rogers, 
for  the  purpose  of  paying  for  a  lot  of  ground  embracing  Cane 
Ridge  Meeting-house  and  the  burial-ground  thereat,  and  also  for 
the  purpose  of  repairing  said  house  so  as  to  make  it  comfortable 
for  a  house  of  worship  for  the  cold  as  well  as  the  warm  season 
of  the  year.  Said  house  and  lot  to  be  conveyed  to  the  Christian 
and  Presbyterian  Churches,  but  free  for  other  societies  to  wor- 
ship in  when  not  occupied  by  these  churches. 

Feb.  12,  1829. 

William  Rogers.  James  M.  Cogswell.     Robt.   Scott. 

Nathaniel  P.  Rogers.  James  Hutchcraft.       Chas.   Wasson. 


34 


THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 


Jesse  Bowles. 
Hugh  Bowles. 
Holman    Bowles. 
Chas.  B.  Colcord. 
Zacharia  Eastin. 
Ephraim  Herriott. 
James   Houston. 
William  Henderson. 
John  Irvin. 
David  Jameson. 
Robert  Luckie. 
Hamilton  Wilson. 
Nimrod  L.  Lindsay. 
Jesse  Shumate. 
B.  W.  S.  Graves. 
Henry  Lander. 
Greenberry  Howard 
Levi  Houston. 
Chas.   Skillman. 
Caleb  Wilson. 
H.  J.  Eastin. 
Robert  Bowles. 
Thomas  T.  Dobins. 
W.  Kennedy. 
E.  M.  Dodge. 
Wesley  Jameson. 
Andrew  Wallace. 
Lewis  Campbell. 
Chas.   Campbell. 
James    Campbell. 
George  Parker. 


Jeremia  Stark. 
Alexander  Donovan. 
W.   S.  Wagers. 
John  Grant. 
Daniel  F.  Stark. 
Lewis   Grin  stead. 
William   Skillman. 
H.  T.  Gorham. 
John  Desha. 
Chas.  T.  Thornton. 
James   Hibler. 
Sarah    Hopkins. 
Mary   Luckie. 
Thomas  Bell. 
W.  T.  Allen. 
John  Graves. 
Hugh   Campbell. 
Walker   Buckner. 
Chas.   Lander. 
Robert   Luckie. 
John   Spencer. 
Thos.  C.  Bledsoe. 
Thos.   M.   Parrish. 
Joel  Carrington. 
James    Simms. 
John  Brest.  Sr. 
Aimer   S.   Hibler. 
Rachel    Malcolm. 
Joseph  Trotter. 
Hugh   Roseberry. 


William    Scott. 
John  L.  Hickman. 
Nathan  Bayless. 
Thos.  D.  Reed. 
John  Hildreth. 
Fielder  Letton. 
Henry  Wilson 
Jas.  M.  Jameson. 
Hiram  M.  Bledsoe. 
W.  G.  Skillman. 
John  Barnett. 
Peter   Banta. 
Hugh  Brent. 
Patrick   Scott. 
D.  O.  Tully. 
V.  G.  Moss. 
John  Parker. 
John  Wilson. 
William  Wilson. 
Joseph  Wilson. 
Daniel  Ammerman. 
Caleb    Hall. 
Samuel   Layson. 
Turner  Xeal. 
W.    P.   Green. 
John  Morris. 
Burton  Richards. 
James  Rogers. 
Thomas  Rogers. 
Sam  Wasson. 
Jas.  M.  Dickey. 


Daniel  Ruark. 

But  few  of  these  names  were  associated  with  the  first 
congregation  which  was  organized  by  Finley ;  of  that 
number  appears  the  name  of  James  Houston,  who  was 
clerk  of  the  church,  the  first  in  its  history.  The  remain- 
ing signatures  were  of  a  later  generation.  This  benevo- 
lent enterprise  resulted  most  favorably  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  purpose  sought.  A  deed  was  recorded  to  a 
lot  of  three  acres,  including  the  building  and  graveyard 


MRS.  MARY    LINDSAY    ROGERS, 

President  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  under  whose  auspices  the  church  was 

*>ut  in  thorough  condition  in  1882. 


THE   BUILDING    OF    THE    CHURCH  37 

adjacent.  The  house  was  weatherboarded,  the  walls 
within  were  lathed  and  plastered,  and  a  ceiling  placed 
above ;  tongue  and  grooved  and  dressed  blue-ash  floor- 
ing was  substituted  for  the  puncheons  beneath,  and  the 
seats,  of  similar  material,  without  supports  to  the  back, 
hewn  with  broadax,  were  laid  aside  and  the  more  modern 
device  of  dressed  lumber  for  benches  with  ample  sup- 
ports, both  in  rear  and  in  front,  took  their  place.  The 
modern  innovation  of  ceiling  overhead  rendered  the 
removal  of  the  gallery  a  necessity,  and  that  massive  work 
of  the  pioneer  fathers  was  ruthlessly  torn  from  its  fas- 
tenings and  consigned  to  the  less  consecrated  purpose  of 
composing  a  portion  of  the  structure  of  a  stock  barn  near 
by.  The  chandeliers  were  most  impressive  in  simplicity 
and  utility.  As  I  have  never  seen  their  counterpart,  I 
will  try  to  describe  them.  The  pair  of  chandeliers,  which 
lighted  the  church  at  night,  were  models  of  uniqueness 
in  their  simplicity  and  evidently  the  conception  of  local 
talent.  The  base  or  central  feature  of  the  design  was  of 
wood,  oval  in  shape,  painted  white,  about  ten  inches  in 
diameter,  finished  with  a  well-rounded  knob  to  facilitate 
raising  and  lowering.  They  were  attached  to  a  cord  run- 
ning through  the  ceiling  over  pulleys  and  about  twenty 
feet  apart.  A  piece  of  wire  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil,  bent 
in  the  shape  of  the  letter  S  inverted,  was  attached  to  the 
base  and  three  feet  in  length,  which  supported  a  small 
tin  pan  with  corrugated  edges.  In  its  center  was  an  open 
cup  to  receive  a  tallow  candle,  the  second  evolution  from 
a  burning  torch.  A  succession  of  these  lights  completed 
the  chandelier,  and  such  was  the  mode  by  which  the 
audience-chamber  of  Cane  Ridge  Meeting-house  was 
lighted  seventy-five  years  ago.  The  main  entrance  of 
the  church  has  been  from  the  west,  only  two  doors  in 
the  building — east  and  west— and  the  main  aisle  extends 


38  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETRXG-HOl'SE 

through  the  center  from  door  to  door.  The  pulpit  occu- 
pied the  northern  alcove  or  offset,  as  before  described.  It 
was  eight  feet  in  width  and  six  in  height,  boxed  up  with 
t<  >ngue  and  grooved  plank,  with  entrance  at  the  side  by 
means  of  several  steps.  Immediately  in  front  was  an 
open  square  with  the  communion  table  near  the  center. 
The  officers  of  the  church  and  the  senior  sisters,  seated 
in  high-back,  antique  chairs  arranged  irregularly  about 
it.  Their  former  owners  and  occupants  have  long  since 
crossed  over  the  river,  and  these  mute  mementoes  yet 
remain  as  a  priceless  legacy  of  the  exalted  character  and 
Christian  worth  of  their  former  owners. 

During  the  year  1882,  the  spirit  of  conforming  to 
modern  tastes  in  ornamentation  and  architecture  seized 
the  members  of  the  church,  which  resulted  in  other 
radical  changes  in  the  interior  of  the  building;  more 
comfortable  seats  were  provided  and  the  entire  interior 
repapered  and  tastefully  decorated.  The  eastern  entrance 
was  permanently  closed,  and  the  pulpit,  so  replete  with 
its  unfading  memories  of  the  past,  was  transferred  to  the 
east.  The  spirit  of  change  had  so  wonderfully  affected 
us  all  that  it  was  determined  that  those  brilliant,  spec- 
tacular chandeliers,  faithful  monitors  had  they  been  for 
half  a  century,  must  also  give  way  to  modern  tastes,  and 
they  are  gone. 

The  original  structure  is  not  impaired.  Its  ancient 
ridgepole  remains  where  it  was  placed  in  1791.  The 
graveyard,  with  its  sainted  dead  of  hallowed  memory,  is 
yet  intact,  and  that  memorable  era  in  her  history  inflex- 
ibly written — June  28,  1804.  Here  is  the  birthplace  of  a 
faith. 


THE    GRAVEYARD  41 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Graveyard. 

The  graveyard,  east  of  the  building-,  comprising  an 
acre  of  ground,  overgrown  with  forest  trees,  is  filled 
with  the  remains  of  the  pioneers  of  the  settlement  and 
of  the  church.  On  the  occasion  of  Stone's  last  visit  to 
the  congregation,  on  preaching  his  farewell  discourse  in 
August,  1843,  ne  expressed  the  wish  to  be  buried  in  the 
midst  of  friends  who  had  so  constantly  and  heroically 
upheld  him  in  the  early  days  of  contention  and  desertion 
which  had  characterized  the  formative  period  of  the 
church.  In  accordance  with  his  wish,  soon  after  his 
death,  at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  in  Xovember,  1844,  his  remains 
were  brought  by  the  church  and  interred  within  her 
shadows,  forever  consecrated  to  his  name.  A  marble 
shaft,  bearing  this  inscription,  marks  the  spot: 

The  church  of  Christ  at  Cane  Ridge  and  other  generous 
friends  in  Kentucky  have  caused  this  monument  to  be  erected 
as  a  tribute  of  affection   and  gratitude  to 

BARTOX  W.  STONE, 

Minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  the  distinguished  reformer 
of   the  nineteenth  century. 

Born  Dec.  24,  1772. 

Died  Nov.  9,  1844. 

His  remains  lie  here. 

This  monument  erected  in   1847. 

During  the  life  of  William  Rogers,  who  died  in  1862, 
an  application  was  made  to  me  for  a  copy  of  the  above 
inscription.  Assuming  there  was  some  question  of  its 
correctness,  I  sought  information  from  him,  which  pro- 
voked this  response :  "I  am  the  author  and  I  wrote  it 


42  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

advisedly.  Before  its  inscription  I  mailed  a  copy  to  the 
address  of  every  minister  of  the  church  of  prominence 
in  the  West,  which  I  could  secure,  with  instruction  to 
amend,  substitute  or  criticize.  It  met  the  approval  of 
every  one  without  exception."  "What  is  written,  is 
written." 

Overshadowing  its  summit  towers  a  lofty  pine, 
planted  by  the  hand  of  his  loving  pupil,  Elder  John 
Allen  Gano,  the  most  successful  evangelist  of  his  day, 
possessing  the  most  charming  delivery  of  any  speaker  I 
have  ever  heard  from  the  pulpit.  Adjacent  a  massive 
stone  shows  where  linger  the  remains  of  one  of  the  first 
settlers,  James  Houston,  and  the  first  clerk  of  the  church 
under  the  ministry  of  Robert  W.  Finley;  dying  at  an 
advanced  age,  he  was  the  only  member  of  that  congrega- 
tion whom  I  ever  knew — the  possessor  of  a  gracious  and 
impressive  personality,  of  imposing  height  and  military 
bearing,  he  was  my  conception  of  a  representative 
pioneer. 

Within  the  shadow  of  the  pine  planted  by  the  pious 
Gano  lie  father  and  son,  Nathaniel  and  William  Rogers, 
the  former  the  first  subject  to  demand  baptism  at  the 
hand  of  Stone  in  1803,  whilst  laboring  under  the  com- 
mission of  the  presbytery  with  a  proviso,  the  staunch 
supporter  of  his  minister  as  he  had  been  of  his  country's 
cause,  and  member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the 
constitution  of  Kentucky  in  1799.  The  son,  William 
Rogers,  was  one  of  the  first  male  subjects  to  receive  the 
rite  at  the  first  baptism  of  the  Christian  Church  in  1807, 
became  its  first  clerk  of  that  date,  alternating  his  official 
stations  of  clerk  or  elder  for  more  than  fifty  years,  and 
the  author  of  the  inscription  on  the  Stone  monument. 

Near  by  is  his  associate.  Elder  I  Iamilton  Wilson,  from 
whom  he  said  he  had  learned  the  lesson  of  his  life — "to 


THE    GRAVEYARD  45 

never  speak  ill  of  any  one."  Within  this  hallowed  circle 
repose  all  that  is  mortal  of  Charles  Spencer,  a  negro,  a 
Christian  without  hypocrisy,  of  the  most  venerable  aspect, 
respected  by  all  his  contemporaries.  "Uncle  Charles,"  as 
every  one  addressed  him,  was  ever  in  his  accustomed 
seat ;  variations  of  temperature  seemed  to  impel  rather 
than  to  retard  his  devotion  to  duty  of  being  present  at 
every  service  of  the  church.  His  venerable  head,  guilt- 
less of  hair,  with  turban  covering,  and  his  manner  of 
joining  in  the  songs  of  praise,  was  one  of  the  distinctive 
features  of  the  congregation  of  his  day.  He  was  one  of 
Stone's  first  converts.  Devoted  to  music,  he  could  sound 
but  one  note,  and  that  of  the  highest  key,  and  in  every 
song  that  note  was  sounded  most  thrillingly,  electrifying 
those  unaccustomed  to  the  unearthly  shriek,  and  during 
the  balance  of  the  song  his  body  would  sway  to  and  fro 
like  the  rhythmic  swinging  of  a  great  pendulum.  The 
appalling  effect  upon  the  children  of  the  audience  was 
something  overwhelming.  Uncle  Charles  and  his  man- 
ner of  singing  embodies  all  of  my  first  recollection  of 
the  church. 

Other  tombs  and  headstones  about  the  grounds,  over- 
grown with  moss  and  "time's  effacing  fingers"  obscuring 
their  inscriptions,  mark  the  final  resting-place  of  many 
who  so  heroically  stood  by  Stone  when  the  shafts  of 
ridicule  and  denunciation  were  hurled  from  the  pulpits 
of  all  the  churches  against  the  head  of  the  infant  church 
and  its  following.  Of  them  are  the  Luckies,  Wassons, 
Wilsons,  Jameson  and  the  Campbells. 

The  remains  of  Henry  Wilson,  one  of  the  early 
pioneers,  fill  an  unmarked,  unknown  grave,  the  friend 
and  supporter  of  Stone,  member  of  the  church  here,  and 
his  only  companion  through  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  when 
he  absented  himself  from  his  pulpits  for  a  trip  to  Georgia 


46  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

and  Virginia  in  1797.  He  lived  and  died  about  two  miles 
east  of  the  church,  where  had  been  developed  a  salt 
well,  the  only  one  in  the  county,  much  frequented  by  the 
early  settlers  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  salt. 
Wilson  was  one  of  the  defenders  of  Bryant's  Station 
when  it  was  besieged  by  the  Indians  under  the  renegade 
Girty  in  1782,  which  developed  the  most  heroic  incident 
in  moral  courage  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  Kentucky. 
The  plan  of  the  fortification  consisted  of  palisades  and 
block-houses,  which  failed  to  include  the  spring  of  water 
some  one  hundred  yards  without.  The  women  and  older 
children  each  morning  would,  in  buckets,  bring  a  daily 
supply  of  water  for  the  garrison.  The  morning  of  the 
siege  the  inmates  of  the  fort  knew  there  were  hundreds 
of  the  savage  foe  in  concealment  about  the  spring.  In 
order  Jo  gain  time  for  the  arrival  of  expected  reinforce- 
ments and  to  impress  the  enemy  with  belief  that  further 
delay. would  assure  its  capture,  the  plan  of  original 
strategy  was  devised  of  calling  on  the  women  and  older 
children  to  go  as  usual  for  the  daily  supply  of  water. 
This  they  declined  to  do,  insisting  that  the  men  should 
go.  Major  Johnson,  in  command,  made  the  plea  that 
though  many  of  the  enemy  were  hidden  about  the  spring, 
if  the  women  would  go  as  was  their  custom,  they  would 
be  convinced  of  the  ignorance  of  the  garrison  of  their 
presence  and  hostile  intent.  The  appeal  was  responded 
to  by  the  heroic  wife,  Jemima  Johnson,  exclaiming, 
"Get  your  buckets,"  and  a  supply  of  water  for  the  day 
was  secured,  the  desired  impression  upon  the  foe  was 
conveyed,  the  necessary  delay  for  the  arrival  of  rein- 
forcements secured  and  the  garrison  saved.  Jemima 
Johnson,  in  leading  a  forlorn  hope,  left  in  his  cradle  a 
cooing  babe,  who.  in  his  bright  manhood,  reflected  the 
inherited  glory  of  a  heroic  mother.     He  was  destined  to 


THE   GRAVEYARD  47 

lead  a  forlorn  hope  upon  the  Canadian  border  in  the 
most  brilliant  victory  in  the  Northwest  in  the  War  of 
1812,  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  at  which  he  received 
nine  shots  in  person  and  clothing,  killed  the  great  Tecum- 
seh  and  lived  to  become  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States— Richard  M.  Johnson. 

Henry  Wilson,  in  rearing  a  fortification  near  by  for 
the  protection  of  himself  and  associates,  determined  to 
avoid  the  criminal  error  of  Bryant's  Station  by  building 
a  fort  of  stone  with  walls  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  to 
insure  its  security  against  all  efforts  of  the  implacable 
foe.  included  within  its  walls  a  living  spring,  whose  flow- 
ing stream  found  an  outlet  through  a  stone  culvert 
covered  with  several  feet  of  earth,  emptying  its  hidden 
waters  into  a  considerable  creek  one  hundred  yards  away. 
The  storms  of  more  than  a  century  have  had  no  effect 
upon  the  skill  and  workmanship  of  this  simple  engineer- 
ing feat. 

"  And  now,  as  a  final  action  in  the  drama,  nature  comes 
to  the  rescue,  asserts  her  sovereignty  over  matter  earthly, 
reproducing  in  the  graveyard  that  particular  growth 
which  gave  it  a  name  and  distinction.  The  pedigreed 
cane  of  ancient  days  has  asserted  its  right  to  eminent 
domain  and  has  secured  a  foothold  in  the  churchyard 
after  an  absence  of  sixty  years.1  Nature's  effort  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  the  pioneer. 

The  following  beautiful  incident  illustrates  the  ven- 
eration and  abiding  affection  for  the  memory  of  the  man 
on  the  part  of  the  sister  congregation  of  Concord,  now 
of  Carlisle,  Ky.  The  minister  of  that  church,  Brother 
Tinder,  some  years  ago  said  to  the  writer:  "My  congre- 
gation appeals  to  me  to  devise  the  means  to  restore  the 

1  Elder   Hamilton   Wilson. 


48  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

monument  over  Father  Stone  at  your  old  church  ;  to  what 
extent  is  it  damaged  ?" 

"The  shaft  and  base  are  perfect;  the  foundation  on 
the  north  side  seems  impaired,  and  it  is  leaning." 

"What  sum  of  money  would  be  necessary  to  re- 
store it?" 

"With  thanks  to  your  people  for  the  interest  mani- 
fested, only  the  labor  of  a  few  of  our  members  for  an 
hour  will  be  required  to  adjust  it." 

It  was  found  that  the  tree  planted  by  the  reverent 
pupil  Gano  had  thrown  out  a  main  supporting  root  be- 
neath the  structure  and  with  its  increasing  growth  was 
gradually  tilting  the  shaft.  Time,  with  its  corrosions, 
seems  not  to  have  abated  the  love  for  the  memory  of  the 
founder  of  the  faith  among  the  descendants  of  his 
former  flock  of  Concord. 


BARTON    \Y.   STONE. 


BARTON    W.    STONE 


CHAPTER    IV. 
Barton  W.  Stone. 


There  now  appears  upon  the  historic  scene  a  character 
hitherto  unknown,  a  young  minister  bearing  credentials 
from  a  North  Carolina  presbytery,  who  was  destined  to 
achieve  results  in  the  wide  realm  of  theology  in  a  new 
departure  from  the  beaten  paths  of  all  predecessors  since 
apostolic  times.  A  Marylander  by  birth,  a  Virginian  by 
adoption,  twenty-five  years  of  age,  of  very  limited  ex- 
perience in  the  pulpit,  never  having  assumed  charge  of  a 
church,  visits  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord  Churches  at  the 
close  of  1796  and  is  employed  to  fill  the  pulpits  made 
vacant  by  the  removal  of  Finley  to  Ohio.  He  bore  the 
name  of  Barton  Warren  Stone.  Here  he  labored  with 
great  zeal  and  efficiency,  and  within  a  few  months  re- 
ceived eighty  additions.  Of  that  number,  thirty  were 
attached  to  the  senior  church.  He  continued  his  minis- 
terial duties  for  two  years,  excepting  an  interval  spent 
on  a  visit  to  Georgia  and  Virginia.  In  1798  a  call  was 
made  upon  him  by  the  united  congregations,  through  the 
presbytery  at  Lexington,  to  continue  his  duties,  which 
he  accepted,  and  a  future  day  for  his  ordination  was 
designated. 

Before  a  license  could  be  given  by  that  body  it  was 
necessary  to  examine  him  on  the  articles  of  faith.  The 
time  for  the  solution  of  his  difficulties  had  arrived.  The 
synod  was  complete,  and  a  large  audience  had  assembled. 
There  were  grave  doubts  in  his  mind  and  he  was  unwilling 
to  promise  adherence  to  all  its  teachings.  He  privately 
sought  counsel  of  two  of  its  members.     They  reasoned 


52  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

with  the  candidate  in  great  earnestness  and  zeal  to  little 
effect.  Finally  came  the  question  from  one  of  the 
tribunal : 

"How  far  are  you  willing  to  receive  the  Confession?" 

"As  far  as  I  see  it  consistent  with  the  word  of  God," 
came  the  prompt  response.  They  deemed  that  answer 
sufficient. 

Thus  with  a  restriction  he  was  empowered  by  the 
presbytery  to  continue  in  charge  of  the  two  congrega- 
tions, a  majority  of  each  presumably  having  gone  with 
Finley  to  Ohio. 

When  Stone  was  first  ordained  by  the  Orange  Pres- 
bytery of  North  Carolina1  in  1796,  he  was  handed  a  Bible, 
not  the  Confession  of  Faith,  by  the  presiding  officer,  with 
the  injunction,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature. ''  The  radical  difference  in  the 
modes  of  ordination  naturally  gave  rise  to  the  question 
to  which  should  he  render  obedience — the  statutes  of  the 
Bible  or  the  codes  of  men?  Flis  answer  is  known  to  the 
world.  The  year  1798  is  literally  the  natal  year  of  the 
communion  now  called  Christians.  For  a  brief  period 
of  time  interest  in  religion  had  been  rapidly  ebbing ;  the 
people  had  become  absorbed  in  carving  homes  from  the 
mighty  forests.  Temporal  cares  alone  prompted  them  to 
action,  with  apparently  no  disposition  to  prosecute 
spiritual  inquiries. 

This  deplorable  condition  of  religion  was  in  the  near 
future  destined  to  a  profound  awakening  in  the  coming 
storm.  Originating  in  Tennessee."  extending  into  west- 
ern Kentucky,  its  mutterings  had  reached  this  section, 
which  so  impressed  Stone  that  he  determined  to  see  and 
hear  for  himself.     He  journeyed  to  Logan  County,  the 


2   Elder   Barton   W.    Stone. 


BARTOX    IV.    STONE  53 

scene  of  the  next  great  revival  meeting  in  the  open  air, 
in  the  spring  of  1801.  He  was  so  impressed  with  the 
fervid,  inspiring  developments  there  that  an  appointment 
was  made  for  Cane  Ridge  in  August  following.  This 
was  his  first  experience  in  witnessing  those  peculiar  ex- 
ercises common  to  the  revival  meetings  of  that  year.  Its 
duration  was  of  several  days  and  nights  under  the  guid- 
ance of  two  brothers  in  blood,1  one  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, the  other  a  Methodist,  by  the  name  of  McGhee. 

This  spiritual  tidal-wave,  which  submerged  the  State, 
as  affirmed  by  a  contemporary,2  originated  with  the 
brothers  McGhee,  who,  by  agreement,  alternated  in  ser- 
mon, exhortation  and  invocation,  expounding  the  simple 
gospel  without  reference  to  the  special  tenets  of  either. 

This  joint  occupacy  of  the  same  pulpit  by  ministers  of 
two  denominations,  hitherto  antagonistic,  developed  an 
attraction  so  great  that  no  building  available  would  ac- 
commodate the  audiences ;  hence  the  necessity  of  resort- 
ing to  the  open  air.  And  as  meetings  would  continue  for 
several  days  and  nights,  tents  were  resorted  to,  and  from 
this  incident  originated  the  camp-meetings  of  our  Meth- 
odist brethren,3  which  continue  to  this  day.  This  novel 
union  was  brief,  continuing  to  the  close  of  the  vast  as- 
semblage at  Cane  Ridge,  August  following. 

A  historical  parallel  may  with  propriety  be  suggested 
to  the  Protestant  faiths  by  a  memorable  era  in  the  history 
of  Masonry,  which  so  overwhelmingly  antedates  the 
secession  of  Luther  from  the  Catholic  Church  and  the 
rise  of  Protestantism.  For  centuries  it  had  but  one  head. 
In  171 7  there  was  a  schism — two  grand  lodges  in  Eng- 
land, neither  recognizing  the  other.  This  non-recogni- 
tion continued  for  nearly  a  century,  till  1812,  when  the 


2  a  Rev.   James   B.   Finley. 


54  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-IIOUSE 

two  opposing  bodies  elected  grand  masters  who  were 
brothers  in  blood,  who  accomplished  a  union  with  the 
dissevered  element,  which  has  continued  one  fraternal 
body.  Why  may  not  churches  profit  by  this  example? 
The  beacon  lights  Mashed  free  from  the  hilltops  of  the 
apparent  union  of  the  churches,  and  successfully  there 
were  held  great  union  camp-meetings  at  Cabin  Creek, 
near  Maysville  ;  next  at  Concord,  adjacent  to  Cane  Ridge ; 
next  at  Point  Pleasant.  W.  Ya.,  and  at  Indian  Creek, 
twenty  miles  away. 

The  vast  assemblage  in  Logan  County  closing,  Stone 
returned  to  fill  an  appointment  at  Cane  Ridge.  A  large 
audience  assembled  to  hear  his  report,  which,  with  the 
sermon  following,  had  a  marked  effect  on  his  hearers. 
He  repaired  to  his  church  at  Concord,  where  he  was 
greeted  by  great  masses  of  people,  eager  to  hear  from 
the  Logan  meeting,  where,  before  its  close,  he  witnessed 
the  reproduction  of  the  weird,  varied,  marvelous  scenes 
of  that  indescribable  assemblage.  The  following  is 
Stone's  brief  account : 

The  whole  country  appeared  to  be  in  motion  to  the  place, 
and  multitudes  of  all  denominations  attended.  All  seemed 
heartily  to  unite  in  the  work  and  in  Christian  love.  Party  spirit, 
abashed,  shrunk  hack.  To  give  a  true  description  of  this  meet- 
ing can  not  be  done:  it  would  border  on  the  marvelous.  It 
continued  five  days  and  nights  without  ceasing.  Many,  very 
many,  will  through  eternity  remember  it  with  thanksgiving  and 
praise. 

Stone  returns  from  Concord  to  fill  an  appointment  at 
the  house  of  William  Maxwell  near  by,  where  he  hears 
the  good  results  of  his  meeting  at  Cane  Ridge  the  Sun- 
day before.  On  arriving  at  the  place  of  meeting,  he  met 
at  the  gate  a  special  friend,  who  began  shouting  the 
praises  of  the  Lord;  falling  into  each  other's  arms,  they 


BART  OX    W.    STONE  55 

were  joined  by  the  friends  at  the  house,  when  the  scenes 
so  lately  transpiring  at  Concord  were  re-enacted  on'  a 
smaller  scale  until  a  late  hour  at  night.  Such  were  the 
skirmishes  at  the  outposts  which  culminated  at  Cane 
Ridge  in  the  great  union  meeting  in  the  month  of  August, 
.1801,  the  most  remarkable  religious  assemblage  ever 
known  on  the  continent.  It  was  given  full  publicity  at 
the  first  great  meeting  in  Logan  County,  and  when  its 
prominent  features  had  been  proclaimed  from  the  pulpits 
throughout  Kentucky,  those  who  had  "eligious  conviction 
and  sentiment,  as  well  as  that  element  of  the  population 
which  had  neither,  determined  to  see  for  themselves 
those  peculiar  manifestations,  which  were  unknown  in 
the  West.  When  we  recall  that  the  announcement  of 
this  August  meeting  had  been  made  at  all  the  pre- 
ceding ones,  the  numbers  which  met  here,  estimated  by 
military  men  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand,  should  not 
provoke  comment  or  surprise. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  the  request  was  made  of  my 
grandfather,  William  Rogers,  to  tell  of  the  events  of  the 
great  meeting ;  but  he  declined,  suggesting  that  Hamilton 
Wilson,  who  was  at  the  meeting,  should  describe  it.  They 
were  venerable  men,  associates  from  boyhood,  for  fifty 
years  were  elders  or  officers  of  the  church,  and  lived 
immediate  neighbors  for  that  period  and  without  re- 
proach. Later  on  the  motive  which  prompted  him  to 
decline  became  apparent — the  scenes  enacted  there  were 
so  phenomenal,  if  he  told  what  he  saw,  he  feared  his 
grandson  would  doubt  his  veracity. 

The  masses  which  assembled  had  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  State,  and  many  from  Ohio.  The  roads  were  de- 
scribed by  several  writers  as  being  crowded  with  wagons, 
carriages,  horsemen  and  footmen,  all  journeying  to  the 
chosen  spot,  and  the  country  adjacent  was  stripped  of  its 


56  THE   CAKE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

population.  The  grounds  were  prepared  for  the  vast 
throng".  For  several  hundred  yards  '  an  oblong  square 
with  temporary  pulpit  in  the  center  made  of  split  boards 
with  handrail  for  its  protection,  and  rough  hewn  logs 
at  regular  intervals  for  seats.  The  surrounding  grounds 
were  filled  with  tents  in  regular  street  order.  From  five  2 
to  seven 3  ministers  were  speaking  at  one  time.  The 
church  building  was  set  apart  as  a  lodging-place  for  the 
preachers.  Every  obstacle  seems  to  have  been  sur- 
mounted, that  all  might  be  present. 

Stone,  on  the  occasion  of  his  last  visit,  pointed  out  the 
spot  from  which  he  had  spoken.  All  writers  upon  the 
theme  note  the  utter  impossibility  of  describing  the  varied 
scenes  of  that  unparalleled  assemblage  in  the  open  air. 
"The  spectacle  presented  at  night,"  says  Davidson,  "was 
one  of  the  wildest  grandeur.  The  glare  of  the  blazing 
camp-fires  falling  on  a  dense  multitude  of  heads,  sim  i.l- 
taneously  bowed  in  adoration,  and  reflected  back  from 
the  long  range  of  tents  upon  every  side,  hundreds  of 
lamps  and  candles  suspended  among  the  trees,  together 
with  numerous  torches  flashing  to  and  fro,  throwing  an 
uncertain  light  upon  the  tremulous  foliage  and  giving  an 
appearance  of  dim  and  indefinite  extent  to  the  depth  of 
the  forest;  the  solemn  chanting  of  hymns,  swelling  and 
falling  on  the  night  winds ;  the  impassioned  exhortations, 
the  earnest  prayers,  the  sobs,  the  shrieks  or  shouts  burst- 
ing from  persons  under  agitation  of  mind;  the  sudden 
spasms  which  seized  upon  and  unexpectedly  dashed  them 
to  the  ground — all  conspired  to  invest  the  scene  with 
terrific  interest,  and  arouse  their  feelings  to  the  highest 
state  of  excitement." 

From    the    intensity    of    the    demonstrations,    it    was 


1  Mrs.   Mollie   R.   Clay.         2  Elder   Stone.         3  Rev.    Mr.    Finley. 


BARTON    W.   STONE  59 

physically  impossible  for  the  meeting  to  have  continued 
much  longer.  Provisions  became  exhausted  in  the  com- 
munity, and  the  assemblage  dissolved  after  a  continuance 
of  six  or  seven  days  and  nights.  Then  many  of  this  in- 
numerable host  "engaged  in  singing  the  same  songs  of 
praise,  all  united  in  prayer,  all  preached  the  same  things — 
free  salvation  urged  upon  all  by  faith  and  repentance." 
This  platform  of  simple  teaching  was  a  happy  solution  of 
the  radical  differences  of  the  many  who  had  been  par- 
ticipants at  this  and  the  previous  meetings,  who  had 
owed  allegiance  to  the  Presbyterian,  Methodist  and  Bap- 
tist beliefs.  The  estimate  of  the  conversions  was  placed 
at  three  thousand.  That  it  resulted  in  great  good  is 
surely  established  by  the  attestations  of  such  men  as 
Stone,  Purviance  (who  was  there  converted),  Rice,  Dr. 
Alexander,  James  B.  Finley  and  William  Rogers.  The 
latter,  who  was  associated  with  the  church  for  nearly 
sixty  years,  has  left  this  record : 

I  dcubted  and  caviled,  but  now,  after  more  than  forty  years, 
I  have  ceased  to  question  its  genuineness.  Most  of  its  subjects, 
known  to  me,  have,  by  their  pious  and  godly  lives  and  their 
triumphant  deaths,  long  since  stamped  the  seal  of  heaven  upon 
its  divine  origin. 

Rev.  James  B.  Finley,  a  convert  also,  son  of  Robert 
W.,  who  had  come  with  a  party  of  friends  from  Ohio, 
including  several  school  fellows  who  had  been  associated 
under  his  father  at  the  Log  Cabin  Seminary,  to  attend 
the  meeting,  wrote  the  following  graphic  account  of  it 
in  1852.  He  was  a  lifetime  minister  of  prominence  of 
the  Methodist  Church: 

On  the  way  to  the  meeting  I  said  to  my  companions,  "If  I 
fall,  it  must  be  by  physical  power,  and  not  by  singing  and  pray- 
ing," and  as  I  prided  myself  upon  my  manhood  and  courage,  I 
had  no   fear  of  being  overcome  by  any  nervous  excitability  or 


60  THE   CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

being  frightened  into  religion.  We  arrived  upon  the  ground, 
and  here  a  scene  presented  itself  to  my  mind  not  only  novel 
and  unaccountable,  but  awful  beyond  description.  A  vast  crowd, 
supposed  by  some  to  have  amounted  to  twenty-five  thousand, 
was  collected  together.  The  noise  was  like  the  roar  of  Niagara. 
The  vast  sea  of  human  beings  seemed  to  be  agitated  as  if  by  a 
storm.  I  counted  seven  ministers,  all  preaching  at  one  time; 
some  on  stumps,  others  in  wagons,  and  one — the  Rev.  William 
Burke,  now  cf  Cincinnati — was  standing  on  a  tree  which  had 
in  falling  lodged  against  another.  Some  of  the  people  were 
singing,  others  praying,  some  crying  for  mercy  in  the  most 
piteous  accents,  while  others  were  shouting  most  vociferously. 
While  witnessing  these  scenes  a  peculiarly  strange  sensation, 
such  as  I  had  never  felt  before,  came  over  me.  My  heart  beat 
tumultuonsly,  my  knees  trembled,  my  lip  quivered,  and  I  felt  as 
though  I  must  fall  to  the  ground.  A  strange  supernatural  power 
seemed  to  pervade  the  entire  mass  of  mind  there  collected.  I 
became  so  weak  and  powerless  that  I  found  it  necessary  to  sit 
down.  Soon  after  I  left  and  went  into  the  woods,  and  there  I 
strove  to  rally  and  man  up  my  courage.  I  tried  to  philosophize 
in  regard  to  these  wonderful  exhibitions,  resolving  them  into 
mere  sympathetic  excitement,  a  kind  of  religious  enthusiasm, 
inspired  by  songs  and  eloquent  harangues  My  pride  was 
wounded,  for  I  had  supposed  that  my  mental  and  physical 
strength  and  vigor  could  most  successfully  resist  these  influ- 
ences. After  some  time  I  returned  to  the  scene  of  excitement, 
the  waves  of  which,  if  possible,  had  risen  still  higher.  The 
same  aw  fulness  of  feeling  came  over  me.  I  stepped  upon  a 
log,  where  I  could  have  a  better  view  of  the  surging  sea  of 
humanity.  The  scene  that  then  presented  itself  to  my  mind 
was  indescribable.  At  one  time  I  saw  at  least  five  hundred 
swept  down  in  a  moment,  as  if  a  battery  of  a  thousand  guns 
had  been  opened  upon  them,  and  then  immediately  followed 
shrieks  and  shouts  that  rent  the  very  heavens.  My  hair  rose  up 
on  my  head,  my  whole  frame  trembled,  the  blood  ran  cold  in 
my  veins,  and  T  fled  for  the  woods  a  second  time,  and  wished 
I  had  stayed  at  home.  While  I  remained  here  my  feelings  be- 
came intense  and  insupportable.  A  sense  of  suffocation  and 
blindness  seemed  to  come  over  me.  ami  I  thought  I  was  going 
to  die.     There  being  a  tavern  about  half  a  mile  off,  I  concluded 


BART  OX    IV.    STONE  61 

to  go  and  get  some  brandy  and  see  if  it  would  not  strengthen 
my  nerves.  After  some  time  I  got  to  the  bar  and  took  a  dram 
and  left,  feeling  that  I  was  as  near  hell  as  I  wished  to  be,  either 
in  this  or  the  world  to  come.  The  brandy  had  no  effect  in 
allaying  my  feelings,  but,  if  anything,  made  me  worse.  Night 
at  length  came  on  and  I  was  afraid  to  see  any  of  my  com- 
panions. I  cautiously  avoided  them,  fearing  lest  they  should 
discover  something  the  matter  with  me.  In  this  state  I  wan- 
dered about  from  place  to  place,  in  and  around  the  encampment. 
At  times  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  sins  I  had  ever  committed  in 
my  life  were  vividly  brought  up  in  array  before  my  terrified 
imagination,  and  under  their  awful  pressure  I  felt  as  if  I  must 
die  if  I  did  not  get  relief.  My  heart  was  so  proud  and  hard 
that  I  would  not  have  fallen  to  the  ground  for  the  whole  State 
of  Kentucky.  I  felt  that  such  an  event  would  have  been  an 
everlasting  disgrace  and  put  a  final  quietus  on  my  boasted  man- 
hood and  courage.  At  night  I  went  to  a  barn  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and,  creeping  under  the  hay,  spent  a  most  dismal  night. 
I  resolved  in  the  morning  to  start  for  home,  for  I  felt  that  I 
was  a  ruined  man.  Finding  one  of  the  friends  who  came  over 
with  me,  I  said  :  "Captain,  let  us  be  off ;  I  will  stay  no  longer." 
He  assented,  and,  getting  our  horses,  we  started  for  home.  We 
said  but  little  on  the  way,  though  many  a  deep,  long-drawn  sigh 
told  the  emotions  of  my  heart.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Blue 
Lick  knobs,  I  broke  the  silence  which  reigned  mutually  between 
us.  Like  long-pent-up  waters  seeking  for  an  avenue  in  the  rock, 
the  fountains  of  my  soul  were  broken  up,  and  I  exclaimed: 
"Captain,  if  you  and  I  don't  stop  our  wickedness,  the  devil  will 
get  us  both."  Then  came  from  my  streaming  eyes  the  bitter 
tears,  and  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  screaming  aloud.  Night 
approaching,  we  put  up  near  Mayslick,  the  whole  of  which  was 
spent  by  me  in  weeping  and  promising  God  if  he  would  spare 
me  till  morning  I  would  pray  and  try  to  mend  my  life  and 
abandon   my  wicked  courses. 

These  vivid,  realistic  experiences  of  young  Finley, 
then  merging  into  manhood,  fully  illustrate  the  fatality 
of  fleeing  from  the  wrath  to  come.  The  morning  he 
prayed  for  came  and  with  it  his  conversion,  full  forty 
miles   away   from  the   scenes   of   his   demoralization;   he 


62  THE    CANE    RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

leaves  this  vindication  to  posterity  of  the  effectiveness  of 
revolution  wrought  in  the  minds  and  heart-  of  the  con- 
verts at  that  great  meeting.  "Men  of  the  most  depraved 
hearts  and  vicious  habits  were  made  new  creatures,  and  a 
whole  life  of  virtue  subsequently  confirmed  the  conver- 
sion." 

The  spirit  of  revival  in  religion  which  had  swept  over 
the  infant  State,  and  even  gone  beyond  her  borders,  was 
summarily  checked  at  the  next,  the  close  of  the  series  of 
meetings  by  the  doctrinaires  of  confessional  faiths,  who 
called  a  halt  to  the  new  mode  of  discrediting  and  repudi- 
ating the  tenets  of  their  belief.  Thus  the  wave  subsided, 
ending  the  year  it  began,  excepting  its  adoption  by  the 
Methodists,  who  continue  it  to  this  day. 

Stone's  response  to  the  church  tribunal  at  Lexing- 
ton, on  the  occasion  of  his  licensure,  demonstrated  his 
unwillingness  to  endorse  the  articles  of  faith  of  his 
church  without  reservation.  The  spirit  of  opposition  to 
some  of  them  had  been  manifest.  His  later  experiences 
at  camp-meetings,  at  which  religious  party  zeal  had  not 
asserted  itself,  was  surely  not  calculated  to  increase  his 
estimate  or  impair  his  judgment  on  the  correctness  of 
some  of  its  articles.  In  fact,  it  was  confirmatory,  and 
its  effect  was  to  further  liberalize  his  views.  In  this 
attitude  he  was  not  alone  among  the  ministers  of  his 
church.  I  lis  worthy  example  had  borne  legitimate  fruit. 
There  were  Richard  McNemar,  Robert  Marshall,  John 
Thompson  and  John  Dunlevy.  The  three  former  had 
come  with  Finley  to  Kentucky;  McNemar,  Thompson 
and  Dunlevy  had  become  citizens  of  Ohio.  Party  spirit 
was  in  full  power  and  had  assumed  her  imperial  sway. 
Recreancy  to  church  allegiance  must  be  disciplined  by 
the  disfavor  of  the  church  either  in  suspension  or  expul- 
sion.    Charges  had  been  preferred  by  the  presbytery  in 


BARTON    W.    STONE  63 

Ohio  against  McNemar,  and  the  specifications  of  the 
charge,  were  along  the  lines  of  disloyalty  to  the  sacred 
creed,  and  he  appealed  his  case  to  the  synod  at  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.  The  church  in  her  sovereign  power  determined 
to  vindicate  her  rights  ana  bring  the  accused  to  a  real- 
izing sense  of  the  waywardness  of  his  indefensible 
course.  -  The  remaining  four  were  assured  that  whatever 
penalty  was  imposed  on  McXemar  would  be  incurred  by 
them. 

The  strategy  of  masters  in  war  may  be  practiced  in 
church  as  well  as  in  civil  tribunals.  The  counter-stroke 
was  invoked  and  dispositions  made  to  parry  the  coming 
thrust.  The  judicial  body  of  the  church  is  in  session  and 
the  accused  is  before  it.  An  intermission  of  the  trial 
occurs,  and,  fully  convinced  of  its  results,  they  retire  to 
a  neighboring  garden  and  offer  an  invocation  to  the 
Most  High  to  guide  them  aright ;  they  prepare  a  declara- 
tion of  independence  and  present  it  to  the  tribunal,  for- 
mally withdrawing  from  the  mother  church.  All  the 
signers  were  deemed  guilty  of  insubordination  and  were 
formally  suspended.  This  demonstration,  this  act  of  the 
right  to  assert  and  practice  religious  freedom,  had  a 
bright  example  in  Martin  Luther  centuries  before,  in  his 
withdrawal  from  the  Catholic  Church.  And  the  disposi- 
tion to  affirm  and  maintain  political  and  religious  free- 
dom was  an  English  inheritance  from  the  pen  of  that 
mighty  genius,  Somers,  who  wielded  it  on  lines  so  trench- 
ant and  magnificent  as  to  reinstall  the  sublime  authority 
of  Briton's  ancient  constitution,  resulting  in  the  exile  of 
James  II.,  who  had  totally  disregarded  it,  and  in  the 
enthronement  of  William  and  Mary.  A  century  later 
the  lesson  had  not  been  forgotten  by  our  colonies,  when 
in  the  throes  of  revolution  the  statesmanship  of  George 
Mason  penned  that  immortai  state  paper,  known  as  the 


64  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

"Declaration  of  Rights,"  the  ablest  and  most  compre- 
hensive instrument  ever  submitted  to  a  parliamentary 
assemblage,  the  first  of  its  kind,  and  later  refashioned  by 
Thomas  Jefferson,   1 776 . 

These  several  declarations,  as  cited,  indicated  the  ad- 
vent of  political  and  religious  liberty  no  more  effectively 
than  did  the  declaration  of  Stone  and  his  associates, 
which  forever  dissevered  the  ties  which  bound  them  to 
the  mother  church. 

Thus  within  a  few  brief  years  the  successive  steps  had 
been  taken,  more  and  more  hostile  to  the  domination  of 
human  creeds,  and  inevitably  leading  to  their  utter  re- 
pudiation and  the  formation  of  a  church  upon  purely 
apostolic  lines. 

This  was  an  era  of  declarations,  from  religious  bodies 
intolerant  of  the  restriction  imposed  by  certain  articles 
of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  a  further  departure  from 
Presbyterian  ranks  occurred  at  Washington,  Pa.,  in  the 
forming  of  the  Christian  Association  by  Thomas  Camp- 
bell, Aug.  18,  1809,  five  years  after  the  withdrawal  of 
Stone  and  his  associates  at  Cane  Ridge,  June  28,  1804. 
Alexander  Campbell,1  the  distinguished  son,  landing  at 
Philadelphia,  Oct.  7,  1809,  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  advocacy  of  the  cause.  The  Presbyterian 
Synod  was  antagonistic  to  the  movement,  condemning 
the  irregular  procedure.  Father  and  son  were  finally 
convinced  that  a  complete  separation  from  old  affilia- 
tions was  necessary  to  the  preservation  of  the  movement. 
This  was  accomplished  in  the  spring  of  1811.  They 
were  thus  moving  in  parallel  lines  with  Stone  and  his 
colaborers. 

Alexander  Campbell  was  the  ablest  promoter  and  ex- 


'Life   of   A.    Campbell,"    by   A.    Richardson. 


BARTON    W.    STONE  65 

pounder  of  the  independent  faith  it  ever  had,  and  as 
Christian,  scholar,  author,  debater,  preacher,  lecturer, 
has  not  been  surpassed,  if  equaled,  by  the  pulpit  of 
America.  The  most  homely,  practical  estimate  and  the 
most  comprehensive  analysis  of  his  power  and  effective- 
ness in  the  pulpit,  I  heard  from  an  old  friend,  a  farmer 
and  follower,1  who  said:  "While  the  average  preacher 
devotes  a  sermon  to  shelling  a  few  grains  of 'wheat  from 
the  chaff,  Campbell  in  the  same  time  would  separate  a 
sheaf."  As  to  his  personality,  I  quote  the  words  of  the 
most  superb  character  of  the  century  past,  Robert  E. 
Lee:  "If  Mr.  Campbell  had  been  delegated  as  one  of  his 
species  to  any  one  of  the  superior  worlds,  he  would  have 
suggested  a  grand  idea  of  the  human  race." 

That  particular  declaration,  familiar  to  all,  which 
overshadows  all  others  in  political  significance,  the  im- 
mortal instrument  of  1776,  which  in  its  preamble  held 
certain  truths  to  be  self-evident,  has  impressed  itself 
upon  the  entire  world.  It  has  resulted  in  the  Gov- 
ernments of  Europe  making  liberal  concessions  and 
granting  reforms  to  their  people.  Even  in  far-off  China 
and  Japan  the  spirit  of  liberty  is  awakening  and  each 
has  been  forced  to  respite  heresies  of  misgovernment. 
The  divine  right  of  kings,  a  relic  of  feudal  ages,  is 
being  supplanted  by  the  inherent  rights  of  the  people, 
and  their  recognition,  full  and  complete,  is  a  consequence 
of  the  inexorable  logic  of  events  which  followed  from 
the  teachings  of  Mason  and  Jefferson,  with  which  the 
rulers  of  earth  were  not  impressed,  continuing  their 
despotic  sway  undisturbed  until  the  reckoning  has  come. 
Why  may  not  the  religious  world  heed  the  unmistakable 
trend  of  the  century  past  and  profit  by  a  later  declara- 


Wesley  Ware,  Mason  County,  Ky. 


66  THE    CANE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

tion,  that  of  June  28,  1804,  in  which  the  creed  of  man 
is  laid  aside  and  the  code  of  the  Bible  substituted — "A 
basis  of  Christian  union  upon  the  Bible  alone  as  the  rule 
of  faith  and  practice  for  the  people  of  God"? 

Jefferson  embodied  the  sum  total  in  a  few  para- 
graphs, which  as  a  form  of  government  has  proven  suf- 
ficient to  revolutionize  the  nations ;  Stone  in  a  simple 
sentence,  ample  in  its  authoritative  foundation,  its  dura- 
bility and  simplicity  for  all  peoples  of  the  earth.  "What 
progress  are  we  making?"  At  home  our  church  bells 
sound  in  every  State  and  Territory,  Mexico  and  the 
Canadas,  building  fifteen  hundred  churches  with  an- 
nual additions  of  one  hundred  thousand  souls,  and  her 
rate  of  increase,1  according  to  the  last  census  in  the 
States  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
was  largely  in  excess  of  that  of  any  of  the  denomina- 
tions. 

The  five  suspended  ministers  were  more  or  less  inti- 
mately associated  at  Cane  Ridge ;  McNemar,  Dunlavy 
and  Thompson  were  schoolfellows  at  the  Log  Cabin  Sem- 
inary ;  Marshall  had  come  with  Finley  from  Virginia,  an 
associate  minister,  and  Stone  had  succeeded  the  latter  in 
the  pulpits  made  vacant  by  his  removal.  This  decision 
of  the  synod  in  summary  suspension  was  totally  inde- 
fensible and  illegal  so  far  as  it  related  to  Stone.  "Do 
you  endorse  the  Confession  of  Faith?"  "Only  so  far  as 
I  see  it  consistent  with  the  word  of  God."  They  imme- 
diately organized  the  Springfield  Presbytery  with  head- 
quarters at  Cane  Ridge,  All  united  in  an  address  to 
their  former  congregations,  explanatory  of  their  action 
in  withdrawing,  giving  their  views  of  the  gospel,  the 
causes  of  separation  and  objections  to  the  Confession  of 


1  Last  U.   S.  Census. 


BART  OX    Jl'.    STOXE  67 

Faith,  and  their  repudiation  of  all  creeds.  The  Bible 
alone  was  accepted  as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 
Soon  after  this  Stone  makes  appointments  at  Cane 
Ridge  and  Concord,  and  tells  his  people  he  can  no  longer 
support  the  doctrine  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  is  no 
longer  entitled  to  the  salary  voted  him,  and  he  destroys 
the  subscription-lists  in  their  presence.  He  announced 
that  he  should  continue  to  preach  among  them,  but  not 
in  his  former  capacity.  He  expressed  himself  as  "never 
having  known  a  people  more  loving,  kind  and  orderly, 
never  the  relation  of  minister  and  church  more  harmoni- 
ous, and  never  a  greater  attachment  to  any  people  than 
to  these."  '  Strong  words — what  response  made  they  to 
this  high  panegyric?.  Their  only  response  was  to  ap- 
prove his  course.  If  there  was  defection  in  their  ranks, 
local  history  has  been  charitably  silent.  Preaching  and 
establishing  churches  under  the  new  order  of  presbytery 
proved  auspicious  for  a  season,  when  it  dawned  on  the 
pioneers  that  in  blazing  the  way  through  a  theological 
virgin  forest,  the  name  Presbyterian,  to  which  they  still 
adhered,  was  proving  an  obstacle  across  their  path,  par- 
taking of  a  sectarian  spirit,  and  this  they  determined  to 
eliminate.  The  body  assembled  at  Cane  Ridge,  and  here, 
June  28,  1804,  the  last  will  and  testament  was  prepared, 
signed,  sealed,  witnessed  and  published  to  the  world. 
This  announced  the  end  of  the  Springfield  Presbytery, 
"taking  the  name  Christian — the  name  given  to  the  dis- 
ciples by  divine  appointment  first  at  Antioch — expressed 
their  total  abandonment  of  all  human  creeds,  and  ac- 
cepted the  Bible  alone  as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice ;"  and  thus  was  begun  the  restoration  of  the  church 
of  Christ  one  hundred  and  six  years  ago.  That  Stone 
and  his  associates  wrought  in  wisdom,  for  the  guidance 
and  well-being  of  all  the  ages  to  come,   a   foundation 


68  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

most  enduring  upon  which  the  followers  of  Christ  and 
his  teachings  may  forever  stand,  is  assured  from  the 
unmistakable  career  of  advancement  in  the  century  past. 
The  aggressive,  open  hostility  of  the  parent  church 
to  her  former  children  was  declared  from  every  pulpit, 
and  the  thunders  of  denunciation  and  wrath  aroused  the 
profoundest  sympathy  for  the  offending  few.  The  in- 
evitable result  was  division  in  their  churches  and  acces- 
sions to  the  ranks  of  their  offending  brothers.  Under 
the  impetus  of  vituperation  from  the  mother  churches, 
ministers  and  members  were  added  to  the  movement, 
which  seemed  to  be  assured,  when  its  progress  was  ruth- 
lessly checked  by  the  untimely  advent  of  three  Shakers 
from  the  East,  of  polished  address  and  affable  manner, 
yet  insidious  in  design,  who  secured  a  warm  welcome  by 
heartily  endorsing  their  withdrawal  from  the  mother 
church.  They  taught  a  doctrine  subversive  of  the  mar- 
riage state,  with  other  features  equally  destructive  of 
society  and  religion.  Stone  devoted  himself  day  and 
night  to  successfully  combating  the  false  teachings,  and 
in  restoring  to  the  fold  the  wandering  members  of  his 
flock.  This  incursion  was  not  confined  to  the  infant 
church,  but  pervaded  the  entire  religious  field  of  this 
State  and  Ohio.  The  virulence  of  the  mother  church 
subsided  to  a  great  extent,  when  her  energies  were 
taxed  in  fighting  a  common  foe.  From  this  inroad  on 
the  social  and  religious  fields  the  infant  church  lost  three 
preachers — Houston,  of  Kentucky,  and  McNemar  and 
Dunlavy,  of  Ohio.  Stone  at  this  period  had  voluntarily 
shared  his  pulpits  and  their  revenues  with  David  Purvi- 
ance,  who  had  been  an  elder  of  the  church  at  Cane 
Ridge,  an  impressive  example  of  his  disinterested  devo- 
tion to  the  best  interests  of  the  church. 

The  year  of   1807  became  a  memorable  era  in  the 


BARTOX    W.    STONE  69 

career  of  Cane  Ridge  Church,  on  account  of  the  baptism 
of  many  candidates.  The  first  subject  to  request  it  was 
a  young  woman  (it  would  be  worth  a  king's  ransom  if 
her  name  were  known).  Soon  after  an  elderly  lady  peti- 
tioned for  the  favor,  which  created  consternation  among 
the  elders.1  They  possibly  recalled  that  when  that  rite 
was  performed  the  first  time  in  America  by  the  Baptists 
of  Rhode  Island,  it  was  by  authority  of  the  parent  church 
in  England.  They  could  not  apply  to  that  church,  for,  if 
conferred,  that  church  would  claim  the  subject.  They 
stood  alone  with  no  parental  authority  on  earth — not 
even  an  elder  had  been  immersed. 

In  the  quaint  language  of  Purviance,  "Stone  pub- 
lished a  meeting  at  a  certain  water  on  a  day  future."  In 
consequence  a  large  congregation  assembled.  To  be  lit-' 
erally  exact  in  this  veritable  historic  scene,  I  prefer  to 
quote  David  Purviance,  who  was  destined  to  become  the 
stay  and  shield  of  the  church  in  Ohio,  his  future  home, 
soon  after  the  baptism. 

Reuben  Dooley,  later  removing  to  Preble  County, 
Ohio,  was  the  preacher.  "The  young  woman  and  sev- 
eral others  were  immersed  by  Stone.  I  recognized  that 
it  was  a  command  of  God  which  I  was  bound  to  obey.  I 
called  Stone  and  Dooley  aside,  made  known  my  inten- 
tion, and  asked  Stone  to  immerse  me,  which  he  consented 
to  do.  We  approached  the  water  after  I  had  finished  my 
address,  and,  before  going  in,  Dooley  said,  quietly:  'As 
soon  as  you  are  baptized,  I  want  you  to  put  me  under  the 
water.'  Accordingly  he  came  forward  and  a  number  of 
others  whom  I  baptized  before  I  came  up  out  of  the 
water." 

Historians   describing   events   with   which   they   were 


I  "History    Protestant    Denominations    of    United    States." 


70  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

familiar  are  sometimes  very  indefinite.  One  account 
refers  to  this  important  event  as  having  occurred  at 
some  running  water  near  Cane  Ridge.  Purviance  refers 
to  it  as  "a  meeting  at  a  certain  water  on  a  day  future." 
Having  been  born  within  half  a  mile  of  the  church,  and 
being  familiar  from  boyhood  with  the  territory  adjacent, 
the  nearest  stream  with  sufficient  depth  for  the  rite  was 
three  miles  away ;  and  I  concluded  that  that  was  too 
remote.  There  were  no  natural  bodies  of  water,  and  the 
artificial  pool  is  a  comparatively  modern  development. 
Observation,  information,  theory  and  philosophy  were 
alike  inadequate  to  the  task  of  solving  the  question — 
the  locality  of  the  first  baptism.  Not  one  of  the  older 
members  of  the  church  could  impart  the  least  informa- 
tion, and  the  generation  that  knew  had  all  passed  away, 
leaving  no  record  of  the  scene  on  a  certain  water.  The 
effort  was  in  vain.    "All  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

The  solution  came  unexpectedly  from  Capt.  James 
M.  Thomas,  a'-  elder  of  the  Christian  Church  of  Paris. 

"Who  is  your  authority?" 

"William  Rogers,  who  pointed  it  out  to  me  from  the 
eastern  entrance  of  the  bridge  over  Stoner  at  Paris. 
There  is  where  I  was  immersed  in  1807." 

The  distance  is  seven  miles  from  the  church.  That 
distance  in  later  times  would  have  proven  a  hindrance; 
not  so  with  the  fathers.  Duty  was  a  sublimer  word  then 
than  now. 

Xo  member  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature  ever  acquit- 
ted himself  so  handsomely  in  his  first  effort  on  the  floor 
of  the  house  as  did  David  Purviance.  maintaining  it 
throughout  his  legislative  career,  beginning  in  1797  and 
ending  in  the  spring  of  1802.  It  was  of  exceeding  bril- 
liancy. At  that  period  Bourbon  County  was  entitled  to 
six  representatives,  and  these  were  elected  upon  the  sole 


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BARTOX    W.    STONE  73 

issue  of  opposition  to  the  revival  of  a  State  court,  the 
original  bill  constituting  it  having  been  repealed  by  the 
preceding  Legislature.  The  bill  to  revive  it  was  offered 
by  John  Breckinridge,  then  the  most  brilliant  mind  in  the 
West,  who  became  later  the  accomplished  Attorney- 
General  under  Jefferson  for  eight  years.  Thus  the  issue 
was  made.  The  combat  between  the  intellectual  gladi- 
ators was  decreed.  Another  member  had  been  expected 
to  lead  the  opposition,  but  the  effectiveness  of  the  speech 
of  the  advocate  and  mover  of  the  bill  had  been  so  over- 
whelming in  its  results  that  he  deliberately  retired  from 
the  contest.  Consternation  and  the  utter  hopelessness  of 
the  cause  of  the  people  became  a  conviction  in  their 
already  vanquished  ranks.  The  orator  closes  with  the 
enthusiastic  plaudits  and  congratulations  of  the  support- 
ers. He  who  has  proven  recreant  to  the  trust  hurriedly 
approaches  Purviance  and  said,  "The  people  expect  a 
speech  in  reply,  and  you  must  make  it.'  I  can  not."  And 
hastily  retires  to  an  obscure  corner. 

A  faltering  voice  addresses  the  Chair  and  is  recog- 
nized as  the  representative  from  Bourbon!  There  he 
stood  towering  in  height  above  his  fellows,  clad  in  the 
domestic  fabrics  of  the  times,  the  raw  material  compos- 
ing it  grown  by  himself,  clipped  with  his  own  hand, 
spun,  woven  and  fashioned  by  the  skill  of  his  wife,  for 
the  first  time  a  member  of  a  parliamentary  assemblage, 
who  had  never  attempted  a  speech,  but  whose  inherent 
powers  of  courage  and  capacity  arose  with  the  emer- 
gency, and  the  righteousness  and  supremacy  of  the  peo- 
ple's cause  he  advocated  was  fully  vindicated.  The  bill 
was  lost  and  the  people  found  a  hero,  and  he  continued 
their  successful  leader  until  he  voluntarily  retired  from 
public  life  in  1802.  He  became  a  convert  at  the  great 
meeting  at  Cane  Ridge,  united  with  the  church,  became 


74  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

an  elder,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  studies  preparatory 
for  the  ministry.  When  there  was  every  reason  for  fur- 
ther political  advancement,  he  voluntarily  retired  from 
public  life  and  sought  the  holy  calling  of  the  pulpit, 
doubtless  with  the  conviction  that  the  strife,  contention 
and  bickerings  incident  to  the  political  arena  would  never 
subside,  and  that  the  only  rest  for  the  weary  was  in  the 
sanctum  of  the  student  and  of  the  minister.  If  such  was 
his  contemplation,  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 
There  was  some  subsidence  in  the  political  storm,  new 
issues  arose  and  fell,  popular  majorities,  a  great  bulwark 
for  a  free  people,  would  allay  prejudice  and  opinion  ;  but 
this  new  field  of  endeavor,  which  he  was  then  entering 
upon,  was  destined  to  become  the  theater  of  a  mighty 
upheaval  in  religious  circles  which  would  excite  human 
passion  into  an  intensity  paling  into  insignificance  that 
of  any  governmental  policy  based  on  political  differences. 
The  first  glimpse  we  have  of  him  in  this  dramatic 
act  of  laying  the  foundation  of  a  faith,  is  the  appear- 
ance of  his  signature  to  the  ''Last  Will  and  Testament 
of  the  Springfield  Presbytery,"1  severing  the  sole  remain- 
ing tie  connecting  the  daughter  with  the  mother  church. 
The  experience  of  Purviance  as  a  public  speaker,  his 
readiness  in  debate,  his  intellectual  encounters  with  the 
accomplished  minds  of  the  State,  and  in  the  upward 
flight  of  his  two  ablest  opponents — one  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  the  other  to  the  Cabinet  of  Jefferson — 
"they  bore  in  their  talons  none  of  his  flesh,  upon  their 
beaks  none  of  his  blood,"  rendered  him  on  certain  lines 
superior  to  any  minister  of  his  day.  His  loyalty  never 
wavered,  and  as  the  struggle  for  independence  con- 
tinued, beset  with  difficulty,  environed  with  opposition, 


For  text  of  the   "Last  Will  and  Testament,"   sec   pagi     17     of  this  volume. 


BARTOX    W.    STOXE  75 

denounced  as  heretics,  and  their  acts  as  subversive  of  all 
religion,  groping  in  the  dark  for  a  period  for  the  details 
of  a  belief  the  outline  of  which  alone  they  had  fully  con- 
ceived, it  was  providential  that  a  Moses  should  appear 
to  lead  them  out  of  the  wilderness.  It  was  the  concep- 
tion of  Purviance,  and  he  was  the  first  preacher  of  the 
Christian  Church  to  repudiate  infant  baptism,  affirming 
that  "the  only  baptism  known  to  the  New  Testament  of 
a  believing  penitent  was  immersion  in  water."  Purvi- 
ance moved  to  Preble  County,  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1807. 

Further  depletion  in  the  ranks  of  the  original  prot- 
estants  was  scon  to  occur,  in  the  desertion  of  Marshall, 
in  Kentucky,  and  Thompson,  in  Ohio,  returning  to  the 
parent  church.  Their  disloyalty  had  for  a  period  been 
suspected ;  their  departure  occasioned  no  surprise.  Of 
the  original  principals  of  the  "Last  Will  and  Testament 
of  the  Springfield  Presbytery,"  probated  in  that  highest 
court  of  justice,  from  which  there  is  no  appeal,  were 
left  alone  Stone,  of  Kentucky,  and  Purviance,  of  Ohio. 
It  was  fortunate  indeed  that  they  were  thus  apart ;  the 
strong  arm  of  each  was  thrown  around  the  infantile 
structure  in  loving  embrace,  and  no  further  disintegra- 
tion occurred. 

From  that  critical  period  in  colonial  affairs,  when 
independence  was  swinging  in  the  balance  on  account  of 
the  desertion  of  one  of  its  most  valiant  defenders,  the 
crime  has  been  detested  by  every  lover  of  liberty.  It 
proved  the  strongest  incentive  to  renewed  effort  with  the 
patriot  host  to  achieve  their  independence.  Many  of  the 
colaborers  with  Stone  were  heroes  of  that  struggle,  up- 
holding the  banners  of  freedom  upon  the  plains  of  the 
Carolinas,  at  King's  Mountain  and  at  Yorktown.  They 
quaffed  draughts  of  inspiration  from  that  infamous 
procedure  at  West  Point  and  on  the  Hudson,  and  the 


76  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

effect  of  it  all  was  renewed  allegiance  to  cause  and  com- 
mander— the  only  Washington.  In  this  the  second  effort 
for  freedom,  their  support  of  their  leader,  who  stood 
alone  undismayed,  was  like  that  given  to  Washington, 
sublimely  loyal  and  heroic,  like  that  of  Abdiel — "Faith- 
ful found  among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he." 

The  parallel  lines  in  the  careers  of  Finley  and  Stone, 
so  intimately  associated  with  the  church  at  Cane  Ridge, 
are  impressive.  Both  were  graduates  of  learned  institu- 
tions and  men  of  classic  attainments.  Stone  further 
added  at  different  periods  of  life  a  knowledge  of  French 
and  Hebrew;  they  were  regularly  ordained  ministers  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  beneficent  ministrations 
of  their  holy  calling,  they  practically  labored  in  the  same 
field,  which  embraced  sections  of  Virginia,  the  Carolinas, 
Georgia,  Kentucky ;  and  Stone's  itinerary  included  Ten- 
nessee. He  also  filled  the  pulpits  in  the  fall  of  1796 
which  had  become  vacant  by  Finley's  removal  the  spring 
before.  Both  were  slave-owners,  though  morally  opposed 
to  the  institution,  giving  them  freedom  and  watchful  care 
and  guidance  in  after  life.  Finley  died  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  Stone  of  the  church  of  Christ. 
Each  removed  from  one  locality  to  another  no  less  than 
seven  times. 

The  Scriptural  sacred  number  seven,  in  its  integral 
parts,  was  a  prime  factor  in  the  meeting-house  at  Cane 
Ridge.  The  sacred  numeral  seems  a  century  later  to 
have  repeated  itself  in  the  raising  of  funds  to  build  a 
Christian  Church  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  through  the  effec- 
tive agency  of  an  offspring  from  the  church  here. 

"How  much  was  collected  for  the  church  to-day?" 
said  the  good  wife  to  the  husband  on  returning  to  his 
home  from  his  place  of  business. 

"Only  seven  cents,"  was  the  terse  response. 


BARTON    W.    STONE  77 

"At  that  rate  the  church  will  never  be  built,"  re- 
sponded the  wife. 

In  his  sleep,  as  in  his  thoughts  by  day,  the  seven-cent 
collection  for  an  entire  day  was  constantly  uppermost 
and  would  not  down  ;  in  his  dreams  there  flitted  across 
his  mind  a  memory  of  the  repeated  references  in  Scrip- 
ture to  the  fig-ure  seven,  its  sacredness ;  and,  while  the 
inspiration  was  upon  him,  a  booklet  was  prepared  and 
published,  embodying  the  repeated  allusions  to  the  sacred 
number,  and  sent  broadcast  over  the  West  with  the  re- 
quest that  "the  reader  should  not  restrict  himself  to 
seven  cents ;  simply  to  remember  that  that  sum,  or  its 
multiple,  would  place  one  brick  or  more  in  the  walls 
of  the  church."  This  original  plea  was  so  generously 
responded  to  that  the  church  was  built  and  dedicated 
to  the  living  God  with  no  financial  obligation  resting 
thereon. 

When  it  is  recited  as  veritable  history  that  the  prin- 
cipal in  the  brief  colloquy  between  husband  and  wife 
was  William  E.  Rogers,  namesake  and  grandson  of 
William  Rogers,  the  first  clerk,  whose  natal  day  was 
July  7,  1784,  the  achievement  of  the  author  of  the  book- 
let was  his  by  right  of  inheritance. 

The  clerkship  of  the  church  has  been  in  one  family 
and  its  connections  from  the  first.  The  oldest  list  of 
members  known  to  exist  bears  the  date  of  1838,  and 
while  some  names  are  retained  of  the  original,  shows 
unquestionably  that  it  is  a  copy,  the  original  having  been 
lost.  William  Rogers,  the  first  clerk,  left  a  brief  outline 
of  the  church  embracing  the  period  from  1804  to  1836, 
and  in  1872  a  younger  son,  who  had  succeeded  him  in 
the  clerkship,  Benjamin  F.  Rogers,  purposed  writing  the 
history  of  the  church,  and  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day 
of  his  initial  effort  to  perpetuate  the  record  of  her  most 


78  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

eventful  career  was  stricken   with  a   fatal  malady,  and 
suddenly  passed  away. 

MINISTERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

"Cane  Ridge  Church  was  erected  as  a  house  of  wor- 
ship by  the  Presbyterians  and  a  church  constituted  on 
the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  in  1791,  and  chose 
Robert  W.  Finley  as  pastor.  He  continued  to  perform 
the  duties  of  that  station  till  the  year  1796,  when  he  was 
suspended  and  removed  to  the  Territory  of  Ohio.  Barton 
Warren  Stone  was  then  elected  pastor,  and  continued  as 
such  until  the  year  1803.  He  then  left  the  Presbyterians 
and  in  the  year  1804,  on  the  28th  day  of  June,  he  con- 
stituted and  organized  a  church  of  the  apostolic  order. 
Stone  continued  as  minister  of  this  church,  with  about 
two  years'  intermission,  until  the  year  1822.  Francis  R. 
Palmer  was  then  engaged  as  minister  until  the  year  1336." 
After  him,  Leonard  Fleming  served  about  two  years. 
Then  came  the  noble,  imposing,  silver-tongued  evangel- 
ist, John  Allen  Gano,  whose  teaching  from  her  pulpit 
was  of  thirty  years'  duration.  Continuing  the  succession 
were  John  Rogers,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Dr.  L.  L.  Pin- 
kerton,  Samuel  Rogers,  Aylette  Raines,  R.  M.  Gano, 
John  I.  Rogers,  Moses  E.  Lard,  Jesse  Holton,  Thomas 
N.  Arnold,  Samuel  Crutcher,  Benjamin  Ricketts,  Mc- 
Dermott,  Clinton  Lockhart,  Harding,  Dixon,  Farleigh, 
L.  H.  Reynolds,  J.  W.  McGarvey,  Jr.,  J.  T.  Sharrard, 
Nathan  Brooks,  Charles  Brooks,  Milton  Elliott,  C.  H. 
Dick,  Professor  Buffington,  and  perhaps  others. 

OFFICERS   OF   THE   CHURCH. 

Barton  Warren  Stone  and  David  Purviance  were  the 
first  elders,  and  their  history  is  that  of  the  church  which 
they  founded. 


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BART  OX    W.    STONE  81 

James  Houston  and  John  M.  Irvin  were  next  in  suc- 
cession. The  former  was  among  the  first  settlers  on 
Cane  Ridge  in  1789,  and  survived  all  of  his  fellow- 
members  of  the  first  congregation  under  Finley.  The 
latter  was  familiar  with  his  Bible,  and  was  the  first  man 
I  remember  to  preside  over  the  table  of  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

In  his  fourteenth  year  William  Rogers,  with  his 
father,  Xathaniel,  removed  from  Campbell  County,  Va., 
to  Cane  Ridge,  Bourbon  Co.,  Ky.,  where  the  family 
settled  in  the  spring  of  1798.  Thirty-seven  days  were 
consumed  in  the  journey,  by  way  of  Cumberland  Gap. 
He  made  the  good  confession  before  Elders  Stone  and 
Purviance,  with  his  wife,  Anne  Cornock,  in  June,  1807. 
He  was  the  first  layman  baptized  by  authority  of  the 
mother  church  of  that  date.  David  Purviance  was  the 
first  and  Reuben  Dooley  was  the  second;  the  former  an 
elder  of  Cane  Ridge  Church,  and  the  latter  a  minister  of 
the  gospel.  From  this  eventful  era  in  his  career  he  be- 
came a  devoted  student  of  the  Bible,  and  his  long  after 
life  illustrated  an  unfaltering  allegiance  to  its  sublime 
teaching.  Self-educated,  he  was  familiar  with  English 
and  American  history  and  general  literature.  He  wrote 
with  force  and  precision,  as  the  chapter  contributed  to 
the  life  of  David  Purviance  indicates.  The  later  evolu- 
tion of  steel  pens  never  met  his  approval,  and  through- 
out his  career  he  adhered  rigidly  to  the  use  of  the  quill. 
Exceeding  fifty  years  he  was  an  official  of  his  church, 
alternating  his  position  from  the  first  clerkship  to  that 
of  elder,  at  the  will  of  his  brethren.  A  man  of  splendid 
business  qualifications,  he  early  in  life  secured  a  com- 
petency, rearing  about  him  a  home  of  comfort  and  hos- 
pitality, which  he  called  "The  Old  Castle."  Throughout 
his  wife's  long  career,  a  period  of  fifty  years,  it  was  a 


82  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

Mecca  to  his  children.  Here  was  assured  a  hearty  greet- 
ing to  the  minister,  layman  and  every  caller.  Christmas 
Day  every  member  of  his  family  was  an  expected 
guest  under  the  old  roof  tree  until  the  death  of  his  wife 
and  the  infirmities  of  age  determined  him  to  live  among 
his  sons.  On  matters  of  business  relating  to  the 
church  in  any  representative  capacity,  he  was  always 
mentioned  first  by  his  minister  or  brethren.  A  God- 
fearing man  of  prayer,  at  both  church  and  home,  his 
rule  of  action  was  inflexible.  A  lover  of  peace,  he  was  a 
peacemaker,  and  in  that  role  of  achievement  no  party  to 
a  personal  difference  was  ever  known  to  arouse  the 
wrath  of  the  community  by  refusing  his  terms  of  arbi- 
tration. On  lifting  his  hat  in  response  to  the  salutation 
of  a  negro,  "You  bow  to  a  darky?"  "Yes,  sir,  I  can  not 
allow  a  servant  to  outdo  me  in  politeness,"  was  the  ready 
response. 

He  became  guardian  of  a  daughter  of  a  deceased 
friend  and  brother.  Soon  after  her  marriage,  the  couple 
was  invited  to  make  the  guardian  a  visit.  In  submitting 
the  account  of  the  business  relations  between  the  former 
ward  and  guardian  to  the  husband,  he  was  disposed  to 
question  some  details;  the  wife  quietly,  but  firmly,  said 
to  her  husband,  "You  do  not  know  my  guardian  as  I  do. 
He  is  incapable  of  wrong.  Accept  every  statement  as  it 
is  made  to  you."  Of  elegant  and  soldierly  stature,  of 
extreme  height,  impressive  dignity  and  affability,  com- 
panionable with  his  sons,  and  the  most  considerate,  affec- 
tionate man  to  the  ladies  of  his  household,  I  have 
known.  Especially  was  his  courtesy  and  regard  for  his 
granddaughters  manifested  in  every  circle  in  which  he 
mingled.  He  died  in  1862  at  the  residence  of  his  son, 
Harvey  Addison.  From  the  windows  of  the  apartment 
occupied  at  his  death,  he  was  in  full  view  of  the  sight  of 


BARTON   W.  STONE  83 

his  cabin  home  in  the  wilderness,  where  he  first  began 
housekeeping;  where  he  and  his  wife,  Anne  Cornock, 
confessed  their  Saviour,  and  of  "The  Old  Castle,"  the 
home  where  his  sons  attained  bright  manhood  through 
the  fostering  care  and  ennobling  example  of  a  most 
worthy  sire. 

Hamilton  Wilson  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of 
the  church.  Familiar  with  his  constant  companion,  the 
Bible,  his  life  was  an  illustration  of  its  holy  teaching. 
He  and  William  Rogers  were  colaborers  and  coelders 
in  the  cause  and  near  neighbors  for  fifty  years.  The 
latter  has  left  the  record  that  in  that  mighty  span  of 
years  there  were  no  differences  between  them,  remind- 
ing us  of  the  compliment  of  a  distinguished  citizen  to 
the  then  first  lady  of  the  land,  Dolly  Madison,  of  the 
White  House,  "Everybody  loves  Dolly  Madison."  "And 
Dolly  Madison  loves  everybody,"  she  spiritedly  replied. 
Hamilton  Wilson  and  the  entire  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance reciprocally  illustrated  this  beautiful  sentiment. 

On  the  veranda  of  his  home  one  beautiful  morning, 
William  Rogers  and  his  guest  were  in  the  midst  of  a  dis- 
cussion on  an  agreeable  topic,  when  there  appeared  in 
plain  view  the  person  of  Hamilton  Wilson.  "There 
comes  a  man  from  whom  you  have  not  learned  any- 
thing," said  the  minister.  "On  the  contrary,  sir,  I  have 
learned  from  him  the  lesson  of  my  life,  to  never  speak 
ill  of  any  one."  What  more  impressive  lesson  was  ever 
taught  by  master  to  pupil? 

John  Barnett  early  in  life  became  a  member  and  was 
a  true  Christian,  a  lover  of  his  Bible  and  his  church ;  a 
man  of  prayer,  he  illustrated  in  his  daily  walk  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  convictions. 

Hiram  M.  Roseberry  and  Butler  Hall  were  men  of 
standing  and  influence  within  and  without  the  church. 


84  THE    CANE   RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

Harvey  Addison  Rogers  became  a  member  in  1833, 
and  soon  after  was  ordained  a  deacon  of  the  church, 
filling  that  position  most  creditably  until  his  final  sum- 
mons. The  role  of  peacemaker  in  the  community  was  a 
paternal  inheritance,  and  most  successfully  did  he  prac- 
tice and  maintain  it.  He  was  an  expert  in  the  exact 
science  of  mathematics,  and  no  complicated  problem  was 
ever  presented  to  him  which  he  did  not  readily  solve. 
Attributable  to  his  methodical  accuracy  in  every  detail, 
his  thorough  honesty  and  unerring  judgment  of  values, 
he  settled  more  estates  than  any  man  of  his  day.  Eco- 
nomic in  habit,  conservative  in  opinion,  he  taught  by 
precept  and  example  these  most  effective  lessons  to  his 
family  and  friends.  Regular  in  his  church  attendance, 
devoted  to  his  official  duties,  a  constant  reader  of  his 
Bible  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  real- 
izing months  in  advance  his  inevitable  end,  he  met  its 
silent  and  regular  approach  with  courage  and  resigna- 
tion. He  had  placed  his  house  in  order,  and  was  in 
readiness  for  the  call.  A  neighbor  of  observation  and 
of  years,  paying  a  neighborly  call,  made  this  terse  com- 
ment: "Harvey  Rogers  contemplates  death  with  perfect 
serenity,  no  regret,  hesitancy  or  doubt." 

In  final  preparation  for  the  closing  events  of  his 
early  career  he  prepared  the  following  clauses  to  his  last 
will  and  testament:  "Having  disposed,  as  far  as  I  am 
able,  of  all  my  earthly  goods,  I  wish  now  to  bequeath  to 
my  wife  and  children,  brethren  and  friends,  my  dying 
advice  and  blessing.  Throughout  my  short  career  I  have 
been  a  man  of  peace  and  unity.  Early  in  life  I  embraced 
the  Christian  faith.  Though  weak  and  frail,  and  often 
erring,  I  have  always  endeavored  in  my  humble  way  to 
hold  fast  to  the  confession  of  my  faith,  without  waver- 
ing.    I  have  given  to  my  children  my  property,  but  when 


BARTON    IV.   STONE  85 

I  commend  to  them  the  Christian  religion,  I  offer  to  them 
an  inheritance,  in  my  judgment,  inexpressibly  more  valu- 
able than  all  this  world  can  give.  It  is  my  dying  prayer 
that  not  only  my  own  fam'ly,  but  all  to  whom  1  am 
bound  by  ties  of  blood  and  relationship,  and  all  my 
brethren  and  friends,  should  so  live  and  walk  and  honor 
the  profession  they  have  made,  that  we  may  all  meet  in 
that  better  land  to  part  no  more  forever.  Especially  to 
my  brethren  at  old  Cane  Ridge,  I  would  say,  live  and 
love  together  as  long  as  life  lasts;  do  not  surrender  the 
old  church  with  all  its  hallowed  associations  and  mem- 
ories as  long  as  there  remains  a  voice  to  be  heard  in 
prayer  or  a  song  in  praise." 

Warren  Brown,  the  second  son  of  William  Rogers, 
became  a  convert  at  the  great  revival  at  Xorth  Middle- 
town  in  1838,  became  a  member  at  Cane  Ridge,  and  soon 
after  was  ordained  as  deacon.  As  son,  brother,  father, 
husband,  associate,  friend,  neighbor,  citizen,  man,  Chris- 
tian, the  measurement  of  the  highest  standard  might  be 
applied  with  the  unvarying  result  in  the  final  estimate — 
of  pure  gold.  His  courage,  chivalry,  deference  to  his 
seniors,  to  woman,  his  inborn  courtesy,  fondness  for 
children,  consideration  for  young  men,  rendered  him  the 
most  popular  man  in  the  community  of  his  day.  His 
love  of  truth,  his  generosity  and  thorough  frankness, 
with  all  their  kindred  attributes,  which  his  beautiful 
character  so  well  illustrated,  "was  a  combination  and 
a  form  indeed,  where  every  god  did  set  his  seal  to  give 
the  world  assurance  of  a  man." 

The  following  incident  illustrates  his  unwavering 
loyalty  to  truth.  Early  in  the  war  between  the  States  he 
was  summoned  by  the  United  States  Court  at  Covington, 
Ky.,  with  many  citizens  of  the  county,  to  appear  before 
the  grand  jury  of  that  court,  to  testify  against  the  citi- 


86  THE    CAKE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

zens  of  the  county  who  were  accused  of  furnishing  aid 
and  comfort  to  the  enemy.  This  threw  a  large  element 
of  citizenship  into  alarm  and  consternation,  and  when  it 
became  known  that  Warren  Rogers'  name  was  on  the 
list,  his  friends,  with  a  younger  brother,  Benjamin,  at 
their  head,  called  a  secret  council  and  with  one  voice 
decided  that  he  must  leave  the  country  to  avoid  attend- 
ance upon  the  court ;  that  his  love  for  truth  was  so  well 
known  in  the  community  that  any  statement  made  by 
him,  under  oath  or  otherwise,  would  be  the  truth,  which 
would  convict  his  countrymen.  His  response  came  in  no 
uncertain  terms:  "To  leave  my  home  and  family  to  avoid 
attendance  upon  the  court  is  a  confession  of  guilt.  I 
have  done  nothing  I  am  ashamed  of  or  regret.  I  shall 
obey  the  summons."  "Yes,"  said  the  brother,  "and  con- 
vict your  friends."  "Whatever  I  testify  to  will  be  the 
truth."  "That  we  know,  and  that  convicts."  The  sequel 
soon  came.  Warren  Rogers  is  sworn  and  appears  before 
the  jury,  after  quite  a  number  of  witnesses  had  testified. 
"Do  you  know,  Mr.  Rogers,"  said  the  court,  "of  any  one 
who  has  rendered  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemies  of 
your  Government,  contributed  guns,  ammunition,  horses, 
money  or  clothing?"  "I  do,"  said  the  witness.  "Tell 
the  jury  what  you  know,"  said  the  judge.  "I  furnished 
my  son,  who  -is  in  the  Southern  Army,  with  a  horse, 
money  and  clothing."  "Mr.  Rogers,  you  are  the  only 
witness  to  tell  the  truth  who  has  testified  to-day  :  you  are 
discharged.  Go  to  your  home  and  remain  a  peaceful 
citizen."  He  preferred,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  evidence, 
to  convict  himself  rather  than  his  political  friends.  That 
noble  character  of  the  ministry,  John  Allen  Gano,  who 
loved  Cane  Ridge  and  its  church,  and  whose  people 
revere  his  memory,  filling  her  pulpit  at  intervals  for 
thirty  years,  often  repeated  this  observation  on  the  char- 


BARTON    W.   STONE  87 

acter  of  Warren  Rogers,  whose  duty  it  was  as  one  of 
the  deacons  to  assist  the  candidates  for  immersion  into 
and    out    of    the    water    at    some    near-by    pool.      Said 
Brother   Gano,   "I   have   immersed  thousands   of   candi- 
dates throughout  central   Kentucky,  the  officers  of  the 
church  rendering  needed  assistance ;  in  all  of  my  experi- 
ence, and  I  am  a  close  observer,  in  courtesy,  deference 
and  consideration  for  candidates,  whether  they  were  rich 
or  poor,  bond  or  free,  the  deportment  of  Warren  Rogers 
excels  that  of  any  brother  I  have  ever  been  associated 
with."    To  every  appeal,  from  church  or  charity,  he  was 
a  generous  giver,  and  his  most  liberal  aid,  in  uplifting 
poor,  worthy  young  men  with  his  endorsement,  was  pro- 
verbial.     His   chivalric   devotion   to   a  nervous,   delicate 
young  daughter,  whom  he  had  escorted  to  a  dental  office, 
had  the  surgeon  to  extract  an  unoffending  tooth  to  prove 
to  the  daughter  the  painlessness  of  the  operation,  was  a 
characteristic  act.     A  letter  before  me,  written  in   1864, 
by  the  Hon.  Garrett  Davis,  then  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  always  an  uncompromising  partisan,  re- 
fers to  Warren  Rogers  as  "one  of  nature's  noblemen.  ' 
His  abhorrence  of  untruth,  detestation  of  petty  acts  of 
selfishness  and  meanness,  with  all  their  guilty  train  of 
human  action,  were  striking  attributes  of  his  most  ad- 
mirable character. 

John  W.  Skillman  is  doubtless  the  senior  in  age  of 
any  member  ever  borne  upon  the  rolls  of  the  church; 
enlisted  in  the  cause  of  his  Master  at  the  great  revival 
held  at  North  Middletown,  five  miles  away,  under  John 
T.  Johnson,  the  great  early  revivalist,  in  1838.  He  be- 
came a  member  at  that  date  of  Cane  Ridge  Church,  and 
for  seventy-one  years  has  lived  a  Christian  life.  With 
his  extreme  age  pressing  heavily  upon  him,  he  has  out- 
lived   all    of    his    known    contemporaries.      Having    lost 


88  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

the  sense  of  sight  and  hearing,  his  constant  prayer  to 
the  Most  High  is  to  be  safely  crossed  over  the  dark 
river.  He  has  attained  his  ninety-eighth  year.  He 
served  as  clerk  and  elder  in  excess  of  fifty  years.  A 
man  of  prayer,  devoted  to  singing,  constant  in  his  church 
attendance  when  in  possession  of  all  his  faculties,  liberal 
in  all  his  contributions  to  the  cause,  may  be  said  with 
truth  of  our  senior  member.  Fond  of  his  friends,  his 
hospitality  has  been  characteristic,  and  no  one  ever  left 
his  door  in  want.  At  the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  those 
in  distress,  the  evidence  of  his  presence  was  never  want- 
ing. In  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  prolonged  career  he 
has  been  equal  to  the  emergencies  which  have  confronted 
him,  and  is  fairly  entitled  to  the  plaudit,  "Well  done." 
Sad  is  the  reflection,  "I  have  had  playmates,  I  have  had 
companions,  in  my  days  of  childhood,  in  my  joyful 
schooldays  ;  all  are  gone,  the  old  familiar  faces." 

An  inspection  of  the  record  of  the  membership 
of  the  church  discloses  a  golden  era  in  her  history 
about  1838,  presenting  a  trinity  which  in  subsequent 
life  became  men  of  distinction.  Memory  recurs  to  the 
oft-repeated  lines : 

"Honor  and  fame  from  no  condition  rise; 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

The  briefest  outline  of  the  later  careers  of  the  modest 
country  teacher,  of  a  young  clerk  in  a  village  store,  and 
a  common  stonemason,  illustrate  the  aptness  of  the  en- 
during quotation.  The  names  of  Stone  and  Purviance 
have  been  borne  upon  thy  rolls,  illustrious  mother,  and 
their  sagacity,  piety  and  wisdom  have  become  accepted 
of  men.  Other  niches  must  be  cut  on  thy  immortal  scroll 
for  sons  whose  achievements  were  worthy  of  their 
origin.      This    teacher    of    the    country    school    became 


BARTOX    U\    STQXE 


91 


a  convert  and  united  with  the  church  at  Cane  Ride^e 
March,  1838,  and  bore  the  name  of  Robert  Milligan. 
He  began  his  splendid  career  as  teacher  of  Latin, 
Greek  and  mathematics  at  the  crossroad  village  of 
Little  Rock,  three  miles  east  of  the  church,  in  1837, 
and  the  year  following  received  as  compensation  for 
teaching  this  school  one  hundred  dollars  per  month, 
which  enabled  him  to  finish  his  course  at  Washington 
College,  Pennsylvania,  graduating  with  distinction  and 
becoming  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  his  alma  mater. 

The  departments  that  he  conducted  and  the  institu- 
tions over  which  he  presided  are  indicated  in  the  follow- 
ing lines : 

Washington  College,  Pennsylvania — English,  1840-49 
or  50:  A.  M.,  in  1843;  Chemistry  and  Natural  History, 
1849  or  50-52. 

Indiana  University — Mathematics,  1852-3.  Declined 
degree  of  D.  D.  Chemistry,  Natural  Philosophy  and 
Astronomy,  1853-4. 

Bethany  College — Mathematics,  1854-9. 
Kentucky  University,  Harrodsburg — President  of  the 
University    and    Professor    of    Biblical    Literature    and 
Moral  Science,  1859-65. 

Kentucky  University,  Lexington — Presiding  Officer 
of  the  Colleges  of  Liberal  Arts  and  the  Bible,  1865-6. 
Presiding  Officer  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and 
Professor  of  Sacred  Literature,  1866-75  (the  year  of  his 
death ) . 

That  he  was  an  accomplished  scholar  the  different 
chairs  over  which  he  presided  in  his  splendid  career 
fully  attest.  As  the  able  expounder  of  intricate  passages 
of  the  Bible  he  was  lucid  and  convincing — the  peer  of 
any  Biblical  scholar  of  his  day. 

Jesse  E.  Peyton  attained  distinction  upon  other  lines 


92  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

of  individual  endeavor,  which  had  been  made  possible  by 
the  suggestion  of  an  influential  senior.  He  was  clerking 
at  the  village  store  of  Little  Rock  when  Milligan  had 
charge  of  the  school.  As  my  guest  and  his  escort  he 
visited  the  scenes  of  his  early  years  at  the  village,  after 
an  absence  of  fifty  years,  and  pointed  out  a  weather- 
beaten  log  residence,  twenty  by  twenty  feet,  with  an  ell, 
as  the  storeroom  he  occupied  during  his  clerkship,  and 
gave  this  incident,  which  influenced  his  entire  after  career 
and  led  to  a  new  field,  more  extended  in  operation,  where 
he  achieved  success  in  the  more  profitable  enterprise  of 
an  importing  merchant.  "Jesse,"  said  William  Rogers, 
"there  is  no  advancement  here;  get  away."  "I  pondered 
over  the  kindly  advice,  and  determined  to  follow  it ; 
and  in  brief  time  was  on  my  way  to  Philadelphia." 
His  agreeable  personality  and  strict  integrity  won  him 
staunch  friends;  he  became  a  man  of  influence  in  his 
adopted  city  and  elsewhere  in  the  East.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  generous  movement  among  the  importing 
merchants  and  manufacturers  of  that  city,  which  resulted 
in  the  financial  relief  of  the  patriot  statesman,  Henry 
Clay. 

Peyton,  in  his  laudable  endeavor  to  establish  himself 
in  business  at  Philadelphia,  then  the  metropolis  of  the 
East,  without  a  name  and  without  capital,  was  indeed 
worthy  of  commendation  and  emulation.  His  capital  was 
his  character,  which  won  him  at  the  inception  of  his 
enterprise  a  personal  ally  more  potent  that  never  deserted 
him.  Xo  man  ever  left  Kentucky  to  establish  a  home 
among  strangers  who  bore  with  him  endorsements  from 
more  distinguished  nmrces.  His  letters  were  from  Henry 
Clay;  Henry  Pell,  then  the  most  prominent  merchant  in 
the  State,  and  Gov.  Thomas  Metcalfe,  who  had  for  many 
terms  represented  his  district  in  Congress,  who  had  been 


Et.   MILLIGAxN. 


BARTOX    W.    STONE  95 

impressed  with  "How  slow  rises  merit  by  poverty  op- 
pressed," who  began  his  splendid  career  as  a  stonemason. 
One  of  Clay's  letters  was  to  the  cashier  of  the  Girard 
Bank,  William  D.  Lewis,  through  whose  courtesy  Pey- 
ton became  known  to  the  most  eminent  men  of  the 
city,  and  whose  unvarying  friendship  ceased  only  with 
his  life — his  patron  in  the  East  as  Clay  was  in  the 
West.  The  following  incidents  illustrate  how  each  was 
repaid. 

Two  years  after  his  advent  in  his  new  home  he  had 
occasion  to  return  to  Kentucky,  and  whilst  at  Lexington 
in  the  law  office  of  Clay's  son,  James  B.,  the  distinguished 
father  appeared.  His  stay  was  brief,  his  face  drawn,  and 
his  manner  much  depressed.  That  kindling  eye,  impres- 
sive manner  and  erect  form  which  had  inspired  an  Amer- 
ican Senate  and  enthused  his  political  followers  is  no 
other  leader  ever  did,  no  longer  exhibited  the  undaunted 
spirit  of  Henry  Clay. 

"What  is  disturbing  your  father?"  said  Peyton  to 
the  son. 

"He  has  become  so  involved  in  his  endorsements  to  a 
friend's  paper,  who  has  failed,  that  he  will  be  compelled 
to  sell  his  home  to  meet  the  obligation,"  he  replied. 
"What  is  the  liability?" 
"About  forty  thousand  dollars." 

Peyton  returned  to  his  Eastern  home  and  called  on 
David  A.  Brown,  narrated  the  misfortunes  of  the  great 
statesman,  and  made  the  plea  that  "the  manufacturers 
and  commission  merchants  of  the  city  handling  American 
goods  could  unite  and  relieve  Mr.  Clay  and  never  feel  it ; 
that  it  was  a  duty  they  owed  to  a  patriot  and  public  bene- 
factor." Mr.  Brown  was  so  impressed  that  he  agreed  to 
see  his  friends  and  report  progress  later.  A  second  meet- 
ing occurred,  when  the  principal  said,   "It  is   all  right; 


96  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOl'SE 

Mr.  Clay  will  be  taken  care  of  ;  but  his  friends  do  not 
want  him  to  know  who  did  it,  except  as  friends  in  grati- 
tude and  admiration."  Ashland  was  saved.  Clay  had  no 
following  in  all  the  Union  so  devoted  to  his  political  for- 
tunes as  the  Whigs  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  above  inci- 
dent is  so  generous  and  loyal  I  hope  to  further  perpetuate 
the  memory  of  it.  Their  love  for  the  chieftain  just  at 
this  period,  1843,  *s  further  emphasized  by  their  issuance 
of  a  life-size  steel  engraving  of  the  great  Commoner, 
executed  by  John  Sargeant,  with  brief  quotations 
from  his  speeches  with  his  signature,  H.  Clay.  I 
have  the  engraving  among  my  treasures,  commemorating 
alike  the  patriot  and  the  incident.  In  1848  Taylor  be- 
came President.  William  D.  Lewis,  the  special  friend  of 
Peyton,  to  whom  he  bore  the  letter  from  Clay,  was  a 
candidate  for  the  collectorship  of  the  port,  and  was  bit- 
terly opposed  by  a  hostile  element  of  the  party.  The 
President  sent  as  confidential  messenger  over  to  the  city, 
the  Hon.  Bailey  Peyton,  then  a  distinguished  Senator 
from  Tennessee,  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  opposition. 
The  Peytons  were  relatives,  and  upon  Jesse's  assurance 
that  the  appointment  was  proper  in  every  particular,  his 
friend  received  it,  and  thus  he  was  enabled  to  requite  the 
obligations  he  owed  his  benefactors,  Henry  Clay  and 
William  D.  Lewis. 

The  attempt  to  revive  the  Whig  party  by  the  nomina- 
tion of  Bell  and  Everett  in  the  historic  triangular  cam- 
paign for  the  Presidency  in  i860,  was  an  emanation  from 
the  teeming  brain  of  Peyton.1  He  was  the  originator  and 
by  personal  influence  succeeded  in  arousing  among  the 
people  of  the  East  sufficient  interest  to  properly  celebrate 


1  John  W.  Woodside,  Commissioner  of  Pennsylvania  Centennial  of 
Washington's  Inauguration.  Poem,  "Past  and  Present,"  dedicated  to  Jesse 
D.   Peyton. 


COL.  JESSE   E.  PEYTON. 


BARTOX    W.   STOXE  99 

the  first  series  of  centennials,  beginning  at  Philadelphia 
and  ending  at  Yorktown. 

The  stonemason,  a  follower  of  the  most  humble  call- 
ing of  the  trio,  has  left  in  this  community  a  number  of 
specimens  of  his  handiwork.  We  have  a  stone  fence, 
chimneys,  springhouses,  steps  to  mansions,  and,  as  his 
chisel  grew  more  cunning  and  his  hand  more  skillful,  he 
entered  the  portals  of  a  higher  art  and  carved  a  monu- 
ment which  stands  in  a  neighboring  burial-ground. 

This  was  Joel  T.  Hart,  also  a  resident  of  Little  Rock, 
with  its  less  than  one  hundred  souls.  Like  the  others,  he 
took  his  departure  for  Lexington,  Ky.,  thence  to  Italy 
and  to  immortality. 

T:i  1884  the  State  made  a  sufficient  appropriation  to 
send  a  special  commission  to  Italy  for  his  remains,  to 
reinter  them  in  the  State  lot  at  the  capital,  and  to  erect 
a  handsome  monument  to  his  memory. 

The  village  of  Little  Rock  was  truly  a  great  factor  in 
the  splendid  career  of  the  great  Commoner.  Peyton 
secured  the  discharge  of  his  obligations,  whilst  Hart, 
with  equal  admiration  and  devotion  for  the  statesman, 
perpetuated  his  form  and  face  to  coming  generations  in 
lasting  marble.  His  Christian  hymn-book,  compiled  by 
Barton  Stone,  with  his  autograph,  is  now  the  property  of 
John  I.  Fisher,  of  Louisville,  Ky.  As  a  highly  prized 
relic,  I  have  from  the  chisel  of  Hart  a  representation  of 
the  Bible  in  stone,  beautifully  carved  and  polished.  He 
has  been  described  by  those  who  knew  him'  as  a  man  of 
infinite  address  and  polish,  and  of  exceeding  modesty,  of 
which  an  incident  in  connection  with  the  building  of  the 
stone  fence  mentioned  above  is  a  mute  witness.  A 
dressed  stone,  six  inches  square,  bearing  his  initials,  was 
placed  by  him  on  the  inside  of  the  stone  wall  outlining 
the  public  highway.    Anticipating  the  criticism  that  indif- 


ioo  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

ferent  workmanship  would  prompt  concealment,  the  sug- 
gestion is  offered  that  the  wall  was  built  seventy-five 
years  ago  and  to-day  protects  the  enclosure.  It  is  nar- 
rated that  a  teacher  of  the  school  at  Harrow  quelled  a 
spirit  of  insubordination  among  his  pupils  by  silently 
pointing  to  a  name  traced  in  boyish  thoughtlessness  upon 
her  classic  walls,  a  name  obscured  by  none  in  all  the 
bright  realm  of  English  poesy — "Who  drank  early,  deeply 
drank,  drank  draughts  that  common  millions  might  have 
quenched,  and  then  died  of  thirst  because  there  was  no 
more  to  drink."  Xo  other  has  said  of  himself,  "That  he 
awoke  one  morning  and  found  that  he  was  famous." — 
Byron. 

The  log  structure  of  a  schoolhouse  near  by  may  have 
had  the  name  of  Hart  upon  its  undressed  walls  ;  its  site 
alone  remains.  Posterity,  the  lovers  of  art  in  Europe  and 
America,  have  written  it  for  him  on  "Fame's  Eternal 
Camping-ground,"  where  the  young  and  aspiring  may 
become  impressed  with  the  lesson  that,  though  bcrn  in 
obscurity,  he  left  his  name  among  the  immortals. 

The  devotion  of  the  ladies  of  the  South  to  the 
memory  of  the  great  orator  and  statesman,  Henry  Clay, 
was  demonstrated  by  their  commissions  to  the  sculptor 
from  the  cities  of  Louisville,  Xew  Orleans  and  Richmond 
to  delineate  his  form  and  face  in  marble  of  heroic  size. 
These  several  tasks  he  completed  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  every  personal  friend  and  admirer  who  has  seen 
them.  His  fame  could  rest  alone  securely  upon  these 
achievements.  A  number  of  other  works  were  the  result 
of  his  skill  and  industry,  noticeably  busts  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  Crittenden,  Cassius  M.  Clay  and  Alexander 
Campbell.1 


1  Found     by     Methodist     minister    in     Italy.      Now    at    Bethany    College. 
— J.    W.    McGarvey. 


JOEL  T.  HAKT. 


BARTON    W.   STONE  103 

Modern  sculpture  as  a  high  art,  like  that  of  painting, 
recognizes  the  old  masters  alone  as  having  perfected 
their  works  as  models  of  their  kind — a  standard  to  be 
imitated  by  all  after  ages.  It  was  destined  by  fate  that 
a  departure  from  beaten  paths  should  be  ventured  by  a 
genius,  creating  in  enduring  marble  a  conception  which 
has  provoked  the  plaudits  of  all  lovers  of  the  art.  In 
"Woman  Triumphant"  his  lofty  ideal  was  perfected,  and 
it  brought  him  fame  after  death.  He  threw  aside  the 
models  of  the  ancient  East,  for  the  conceptions  of  their 
models  paid  tribute  only  to  the  physical  attributes  of 
woman.  Beauty  was  paramount ;  character,  brains,  sub- 
ordinate, not  worthy  of  portrayal.  He  had  as  the  most 
potent  incentive  constantly  before  him  the  ideal  design 
that  a  Kentucky  artist,  the  first  in  her  history,  and  a  lover 
from  early  manhood,  was  paying  tribute  to  a  Kentucky 
woman,  the  most  perfect  of  her  kind.  Unless  his  marble 
conception  depicted  character  in  face  as  well  as  perfect 
physical  outlines,  his  Venus  would  be  radically  defective. 
With  a  constancy  most  heroic,  he  had  through  life  be- 
neath the  bright  skies  of  a  foreign  land,  the  home  of  the 
masterpieces  in  the  kindred  art  of  both  painting  and 
sculpture,  amid  toils  and  poverty,  kept  this  ideal  con- 
stantly uppermost,  and  "Woman  Triumphant,"  his  latest 
work  and  masterpiece,  was  unveiled  before  an  admiring 
world.  The  original  group  was  purchased  by  an  asso- 
ciation of  women  in  the  bluegrass  from  Tiffany,  New 
York,  and  placed  in  the  rotunda  of  the  court-house  at 
Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1884.  The  building  and  its  contents 
were  totally  destroyed  by  fire  five  years  later.  Very 
recently  the  discovery  has  been  made,  through  the  volun- 
tary efforts  of  the  Hon.  Brutus  Clay,  resident  of  thi? 
section,  now  American  Minister  at  the  Switzerland  Gov- 
ernment, that  the  original  model  of  Hart's  genius  is  ex- 


104  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

tant,  the  property  of  an  English  sculptor  of  note,  who 
proffers  to  reproduce  the  statue  in  consideration  of  five 
thousand  dollars. 

With  these  facts  before  them,  can  it  be  possible  that 
the  women  of  Kentucky  feel  that  they  have  no  incentive 
to  action?  Are  they  ungrateful,  unappreciative  of  that 
chivalric  devotion  of  the  great  sculptor,  whose  entire 
career  was  devoted  to  the  conception  of  fashioning  in 
enduring  marble  his  exalted  ideal  of  a  Kentucky  woman? 
"If  there  be  a  crime  of  deeper  dye  than  all  the  guilty 
train  of  human  passions,  'tis  ingratitude."  A  just  esti- 
mate of  the  noble  women  of  Kentucky  forbids  the 
thought;  arise  in  the  nobility,  majesty  and  divinity  of 
your  true  selves,  organize  for  the  restoration  of  Hart's 
masterpiece,  and  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  the  ped- 
estal on  which  you  were  enthroned  by  the  genius  of  Ken- 
tucky's first  and  only  sculptor  was  based  on  eternal  truth, 
with  abounding  merit  for  its  superstructure.  "Words 
are  the  daughters  of  men,  Deeds  the  sons  of  God."  Your 
traditions  are  involved ;  secure  the  reproduction. 

SKETCH    OF   ELDER   JOHN    A.    GAXO. 

In  a  letter  giving  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Elder  John 
A.  Gano,  his  son,  Gen.  R.  M.  Gano,  says: 

I  was  born  in  1830  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky. ;  so  all  the 
early  history  of  Cane  Ridge  Church  known  to  me  I  have 
gained  from  hearsay  and  from  history.  My  father,  John  Allen 
Gano,  whose  life  was  more  intimately  connected  with  the  old 
church  than  any  other  minister,  except  Barton  W.  Stone,  was 
'horn  in  Georgetown,  Scott  Co.,  Ky..  in  1805.  His  father  and 
mother  both  died  before  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  He  was  par- 
tially educated  by  Barton  W.  Stone  when  he  was  teaching  in  his 
own  residence  near  Georgetown.  It  was  there  that  he  studied 
Greek  and  Latin.  He  afterwards  studied  law  and  obtained 
license  to   practice   law   at   the  age  of   eighteen  years.     He   had 


wmmm 


JOHN  ALLEN  GANO. 


BARTON    W.   STONE  107 

never  made  any  profession  of  religion,  but  became  much  inter- 
ested in  the  subject  under  the  preaching  of  Barton  W.  Stone 
and  Thomas  M.  Allen.  He  made  profession  of  his  faith  in 
Christ  and  was  baptized,  identifying  himself  with  the  Christian 
Church,  taking  no  creed  but  the  New  Testament  and  wearing 
no  name  but  the  name  of  Christ  (Christian).  His  sisters,  who 
were  much  older  than  he,  were  much  distressed,  believing  that 
he  had  gone  into  some  heresy.  They  sent  a  messenger  seventy 
miles  for  an  old  Baptist  preacher,  named  Jacob  Creath,  to  come 
and  win  their  brother  back  to  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Creath 
was  a  well-known  and  popular  preacher,  and  had  established  a 
number  of  Baptist  churches  in  Kentucky.  Being  very  earnest 
and  confident  of  the  correctness  of  his  religious  views,  the  old 
man  rode  seventy  miles  on  horseback  to  win  John  Allen  Gano 
back  to  the  Baptist  Church. 

Entering  his  room  and  finding  him  seated  at  a  little  table 
with  his  Testament.  Mr.  Creath  said:  "Brother  John,  I  am  glad 
you  have  determined  to  devote  your  life  to  the  service  of  Christ, 
but  I  think  you  had  better  have  taken  your  stand  with  the 
church  of  your  fathers;  your  family  have  been  identified  with 
the  Baptist  Church  for  probably  a  hundred  years,  and  your 
grandfather,  John  Gano,  was  an  eminent  Baptist  minister  and 
chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under  George  Washington, 
and  immersed  General  Washington  during  that  war."  John  A. 
Gano  replied:  "If  you  will  show  me  in  this  Book,"  laying  his 
hand  upon  the  Testament,  "where  it  says,  'Deny  yourself,  take 
up  your  cross  and  follow  your  grandfathers,'  I  will  follow  mine 
while  I  live;  but  I  read  it,  'Deny  yourself,  take  up  your  cross 
and  follow  Christ;  and  I  intend  to  follow  this  teaching  if  it 
separates  me  from  all  my  kindred  on  earth."  This  led  to  a  very 
earnest  conversation,  which  was  continued  again  next  morning, 
when  the  old  man  rose  up  and  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said : 
"Brother  John,  you  are  right,  and  I  will  take  my  stand  with  you 
and  will  preach  the  Scriptures  as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and 
practice,  and  the  name  of  Christ  the  only  name  to  be  worn  by 
his  followers,  and  this  is  to  be  the  only  ground  of  Christian 
union."  And  he  kept  his  word.  I  heard  him  preach  at  Cane  Run 
Church  in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  when  he  was  entirely  blind.  He 
continued  thus  to  preach  until  his  death. 

John  Allen  Gano  gave  up  the  law  at  nineteen  years  of  age, 


108  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

began  to  preach  in  1824,  and  became  one  of  the  most  successful 
ministers  in  the  church  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  and  continued 
his  labors  until  his  death  in  1887.  Sixty  years  he  labored,  bap- 
tizing about  ninety-eight  hundred. 

He  succeeded  Elder  Francis  Falmer,  who  was  successor  to 
Mart' in  W.  Stone  in  his  labors  at  old  Cane  Ridge,  and  continued 
to  labor  for  that  church  many  years,  and  received  into  the  fel- 
lowship of  that  congregation  a  greater  number  than  any  person 
that  ever  labored  there.  He  also  married  more  couples  and  was 
known  to  have  married  five  generations  in  one  family,  viz.:  the 
Rogers  family :  and  he  was  better  acquainted  with  the  history 
of  th#t  church  and  better  identified  with  its  members,  much 
more  so  than  any  one  who  ever  preached  there.  When  Barton 
Stone  died  and  they  brought  his  remains  back  to  Cane  Ridge 
to  be  buried,  John  Allen  Gano  preached  his  funeral.  He  was 
the  proper  man  to  take  the  place  of  the  great  reformer,  B.  W. 
Stone,  at  Cane  Ridge.  John  Allen  Gano  believed,  as  did  Stone 
and  Campbell,  that  the  only  way  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
was  through  faith  in  Christ,  repentance,  confession  of  Christ 
and  baptism  ;  that  once  in  the  kingdom  a  follower  of  Christ  was 
duly  and  Scripturally  qualified  to  become  a  member  of  the  local 
congregation ;  and  that  the  local  congregation  was  in  and  of 
itself  independent  and  all-sufficient,  subject  to  no  councils, 
synods  or  advisory  boards,  save  and  except  its  divinely  com- 
missioned eldership.  He  further  believed  that  the  only  creed  of 
the  church  was  and  is  the  Xew  Testament,  and  that  one  of  the 
highest  and  most  sacred  duties  of  the  church  is  to  guarantee  and 
safeguard  the  individual  member  in  the  right  to  personally  inter- 
pret this  divine  creed. 

He  further  believed  that  no  member  of  the  church  has  the 
right,  individually  or  through  the  congregation,  to  impose  his 
opinions  or  convictions  touching  Scriptural  teachings  upon  any 
other  member.  He  also  believed  that  all  errors  of  opinion 
should  be  corrected  by  instruction  and  mutual  investigation 
within  the  church,  and  not  required  to  be  corrected  on  the  part 
of  a  penitent  baptized  believer,  as  a  prerequisite  condition  of 
entrance  into  the  kingdom  and  church  of  Christ.  The  latter  he 
regarded  as  the  cardinal  and  fundamental  error  of  the  human 
creed  writers.  Such  was  his  sublime  faith  in  the  inspired  writers 
as  unerring  teachers,  and  such  his  faith  in  the  result  of  an  earn- 


BARTON    W.    STONE  109 

est  and  unprejudicial  investigation,  that  he  believed  predestina- 
tion, universal  salvation,  transubstantiation,  and  all  kindred 
errors  of  opinion,  could  and  should  be  corrected  within  the 
church  as  honest  errors  entertained  by  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
not  fastened  upon  believers  forever  as  articles  of  faith  in  for- 
mulated creeds. 

The  labor  of  John  A.  Gano  for  many  years  at  Cane  Ridge 
made  that  church  a  strong  and  earnest  congregation,  and  one, 
that  made  its  impress  upon  the  churches  throughout  Kentucky. 
There  were  other  faithful  preachers,  who  occasionally  labored 
at  Cane  Ridge,  among  whom  were  John  T.  Johnson,  John  Smith, 
Samuel  Rogers,  John  Rogers,  William  Morton,  Aylette  Raines 
and  others  of  later  date. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  I  laid  down  my  sword  of 
steel  and  took  up  the  word  of  God  as  the  weapon  of  my  warfare ; 
I  proved  to  be  more  successful  in  my  labors  than  I  anticipated, 
and  have  buried  with  Christ  about  sixty-eight  hundred  persons. 
I  labored  at  old  Cane  Ridge  about  two  years,  and  gathered  into 
that  church  a  goodly  number.  The  love  and  interest  the  mem- 
bers there  showed  for  me  was,  I  thought,  in  a  great  measure 
due  to  the  devotion  they  had  for  my  dear  father,  John  A.  Gano. 
He  had  helped  to  free  them  of  the  difficulties  of  human  opinions 
which  had  beccme  fastened  on  the  religious  world.  This  work 
had  been  done  in  great  measure  by  B.  W.  Stone,  and  he  was 
followed  in  his  great  work  by  John  A.  Gano,  who  was  the  first 
man  to  advocate  communion  on  the  first  day  of  every  week. 
This  was  afterwards  adopted  by  the  Christians  throughout  Vir- 
ginia and  Kentucky,  until  now  millions  are  remembering  Christ 
in  this  Christian  ordinance  every  first  day  of  the  week.  John 
A.  Gano  was  unquestionably  the  man  to  carry  on  the  religious 
work  begun  in  Kentucky  by  the  great  reformer,  B.  W.  Stone. 
He  was  a  man  of  eloquence,  fluent  in  speech,  and  possessed  of 
a  remarkable  degree  of  tender  pathos.  With  such  a  theme  as 
the  blood  of  Christ,  he  could  tell  men  of  their  errors  in  such 
a  tender  and  loving  way  as  to  reach  their  hearts  and  cause 
them  to  come  to  him  for  more  light.  He  was  a  remarkable 
peacemaker  and  seldom  failed  to  settle  the  troubles  and  diffi- 
culties of  those  who  were  at  variance.  After  his  death  a  dis- 
tinguished Baptist  preacher.  Morgan  Wells,  who  was  then  living 
in  Fort  Worth,  Tex.,  but  who  had  formerly  resided  at  George- 


no  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

town,  Ky.,  stated  that  John  Allen  Gano  had  done  more  to  build 
up  the  church  of  Christ,  and  to  make  peace  among  men,  and  to 
unite  the  Christian  world,  than  any  six  ministers  of  his  acquaint- 
ance. A  Christian  woman,  living  in  Missouri,  stated  that  while 
she  was  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  she  heard  John  A.  Gano 
preach  on  the  "Claims  of  Christ,"  and  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  an 
angel  were  talking.  Such  was  the  estimate  placed  upon  his 
Christian  life  that  those  who  were  acquainted  with  him  were 
often  heard  to  say,  '"If  Brother  Gano  fails  to  reach  the  heav- 
enly home,  then  there  is  no  hope  for  the  rest  of  humanity." 

As  a  husband,  father,  neighbor,  friend  and  minister,  he  had 
few  equals,  for  which  reason  he  was  so  highly  esteemed  and 
loved  by  the  churches  at  Cane  Ridge,  Old  Union,  Leesburg, 
Coopers  Run,  Antioch,  Mt.  Carmel,  Dry  Run,  Paris,  Cynthiana, 
Lexington,  Providence,  South  Elkhorn,  and,  in  fact,  all  over 
central  Kentucky.  These  churches  and  the  thousands  who  heard 
him  preach  will  long  remember  him  as  a  great  reformer,  and  a 
power  in  the  restoration  of  primitive  apostolic  Christianity.  K's 
last  words  were,  "I  am  almost  home."  At  home  he  is  now  wait- 
ing the  coming  of  all  those  who  love  Christ  and  honestly  strug- 
gle to  obey  his  commandments,  however  weak  and  humble  their 
efforts  may  be. 

Of  all  the  churches  that  loved  and  honored  him  none  was 
more  devoted  than  Cane  Ridge,  from  whence  many  loved  ones 
have  gone  to  meet  him  on  the  other  shore. 


5  § 

•*  p 
°  S 

5  o 
So 


rh    W 


HI 


BARTOX    W.   STONE  113 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  THE  LIFE 
OF  BARTON  W.  STONE 


Written  by  Himself,  Designed  Principally  for  His 
Children  and  Christian  Friends 


CHAPTER    I. 

Birth  and  early  education. 

I  was  born  near  Port  Tobacco,  in  the  State  of  Mary- 
land, December  24,  1772.  My  father,  John  Stone,  died 
when  I  was  very  young.  I  have  no  recollection  of  him  in 
life.  My  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Alary  War- 
ren, a  few  years  after  the  death  of  my  father,  with  a 
large  family  of  children  and  servants,  moved  to  the  then 
called  backwoods  of  Virginia,' Pittsylvania  County,  near 
Dan  River,  about  eighty  miles  below  the  Blue  Mountain. 
This  occurred  in  1779,  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  manners  and  customs  of  the  people  among  whom 
we  resided  were  exceedingly  simple — no  aspirations  for 
wealth  or  preferment — contentment  appeared  to  be  the 
lot  of  all.  and  happiness  dwelt  in  every  breast  amidst  the 
abundance  of  home  stores,  acquired  by  honest  industry. 
Benevolence  and  kindness  in  supplying  the  wants  of  new- 
comers, as  late  immigrants  were  called,  were  universal. 
Courts  of  justice  were  rare  and  far  distant  from  us.  To 
remedy   this   inconvenience,   the   neighborhoods    selected 


ii4  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

their  test  men,  whose  duty  was  to  preserve  order  and 
administer  justice.  By  them  Lynch's  law  was  frequently 
executed  on  offenders.  Sports  of  the  most  simple  kind 
were  generally  practiced,  and  friendship  and  good  feel- 
ing- universally  reigned.  Religion  engaged  the  attention 
of  but  a  few.  Indeed,  our  parson  himself  mingled  in  all 
the  sports  and  pastimes  of  the  people,  and  was  what  may 
be  termed  a  man  of  pleasure. 

Frequent  calls  were  made  for  men  to  aid  in  our  revo- 
tionary  struggles  against  our  enemies,  the  British  and 
the  Tories.  Those  calls  were  promptly  obeyed  by  the 
hardy  sons  of  the  backwoods.  Parents  in  tears  cheer- 
fully equipped  their  willing  sons  for  the  tented  field. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  sorrows  of  my  widowed  mother 
when  her  sons  shouldered  their  firelocks  and  marched 
away  to  join  the  arm}'.  Never  will  the  impressions  of 
my  own  grief  be  erased  from  the  tablet  of  my  memory 
when  these  scenes  occurred. 

We  knew  that  General  Green  and  Lord  Cornwallis 
would  shortly  meet  in  mortal  combat  not  far  from  us. 
The  whole  country  was  in  great  anxiety  and  bustle. 
Nothing  was  secure  from  the  depredation  of  the  Tories 
and  of  bands  of  thieves  worse  than  they.  My  mother 
had  some  valuable  horses  needed  for  the  use  of  the  farm, 
to  secure  which  from  being  taken  by  scouting  parties  she 
sent  me  with  my  two  elder  brothers  to  conceal  them  in 
a  thicket  of  brushwood  not  far  distant  from  home.  This 
was  to  me,  even  then,  a  gloomy  day.  It  was  the  day 
when  Green  and  Cornwallis  met  at  Guilford  Court-house, 
in  North  Carolina,  about  thirty  miles  distant  from  us. 
We  distinctly  heard  the  roar  of  the  artillery,  and  awfully 
feared  the  result. 

The  soldiers,  when  they  returned  home  from  their 
war  tour,   brought   back   with   them   many   vices   almost 


LIFE    OF    BARTOX    W.    STO\TE  115 

unknown  to  us  before;  as,  profane  swearing,  debauchery, 
drunkenness,  gambling,  quarreling  and  righting  For 
having  been  soldiers,  and  having  fought  for  liberty,  they 
were  respected  and  caressed  by  all.  They  gave  the  tone 
to  the  neighborhood,  and  therefore  their  influence  in 
demoralizing  society  was  very  great.  These  vices  soon 
became  general  and  almost  honorable.  Such  are  univer- 
sally the  effects  of  war,  than  which  a  greater  evil  can 
not  assail  and  afflict  a  nation. 

In  such  society  were  my  youthful  days  spent ;  but  in 
these  vices  I  never  participated.  From  my  earliest  recol- 
lection I  drank  deeply  into  the  spirit  of  liberty,  and  was 
so  warmed  by  the  soul-inspiring  draughts  that  I  could 
not  hear  the  name  of  British,  or  Tories,  without  feeling 
a  rush  of  blood  through  the  whole  system.  Such  preju- 
dices, formed  in  youth,  are  with  difficulty  ever  removed. 
I  confess  their  magic  influence  to  this  advanced  day  of 
my  life,  especially  when  the  name  Tory  is  mentioned — 
so  many  injuries,  fresh  in  my  recollection,  attach  to  that 
name. 

I  was  early  sent  to  school  to  a  very  tyrant  of  a 
teacher,  who  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  whipping  and 
abusing  his  pupils  for  every  trifling  offence.  I  could 
learn  nothing  through  fear  of  him.  When  I  was  called 
on  to  recite  my  lessons  to  him,  I  was  so  affected  with 
fear  and  trembling,  and  so  confused  in  mind,  that  I  could 
say  nothing.  I  remained  with  him  but  a  few  days,  and 
was  sent  to  another  teacher  of  a  different  temper,  with 
whom  I  acquired  with  facility  the  first  rudiments  of 
an  English  education — reading,  writing  and  arithmetic. 
Flere  I  must  enter  my  protest  against  tyrannical  and 
ill-disposed  teachers.  Such  are  a  curse  to  any  neighbor- 
hood in  which  they  may  teach.  Teachers  should  be  the 
most  patient,  self-possessed  and  reasonable  of  men,  yet 


n6  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

of  such  firmness  as  to  secure  authority  and  respect.  The 
rod  should  be  rarely  used — only  in  cases  of  necessity. 
and  then  by  the  arm  of  mercy.  He  should  act  the  part 
of  a  kind  father  towards  them  as  his  children.  Gain 
their  respect  and  love,  and  they  will  delight  in  obedience, 
and  rarely  fail  to  learn  the  lessons  given  to  them. 

Grammar,  geography,  and  the  branches  of  science 
now  taught  in  common  schools,  were  then  unknown,  and 
not  sought  after.  My  old  teacher,  Robert  W.  Somer- 
hays,  an  Englishman,  was  considered  in  our  neighbor- 
hood a  prodigy  of  learning.  After  I  had  continued  with 
him  for  four  or  five  years,  he  pronounced  me  a  finished 
scholar,  and  such  indeed  was  I  considered  generally  in 
the  neighborhood.  This,  with  my  natural  love  of  letters, 
fired  my  mind  and  increased  my  exertions  to  rise  to 
eminence.  Being  naturally  ambitious  to  excel,  the  praises 
lavished  unsparingly  upon  me  swelled  my  vanity,  and 
caused  me  to  think  myself  a  little  above  mediocrity. 

From  the  time  I  was  able  to  read,  I  took  great  delight 
in  books,  and  preferred  them  to  any  company,  and  often 
retired  from  my  young  companions  to  indulge  in  the 
pleasure  of  reading.  But  books  of  science  were  the 
rarest  articles  in  our  country,  and,  in  fact,  were  not  to 
be  found  in  our  backwoods.  Nothing  but  a  few  novels, 
as  "Peregrine  Pickle,"  "Tom  Jones,"  "Roderic  Random," 
and  such  trash,  could  I  obtain.  These  were  poor  helps, 
and  yet  from  reading  these  my  ardent  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge increased.  The  Bible  we  had  ;  but  this,  being  the 
only  book  read  in  our  schools,  had  become  so  familiar  by 
constantly  reading  it  there  that  I  wished  variety.  Here 
I  wish  to  leave  my  testimony  in  favor  of  making  the 
Bible  a  school-book.  By  this  means  the  young  mind 
receives  information  and  impressions  which  are  not 
erased  through  life.     The  Bible,  not  read  in  school,  is 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  117 

seldom  read  afterwards.  To  this,  as  one  leading  cause, 
may  be  attributed  the  present  growth  of  infidelity  and 
skepticism  then  scarcely  known  and  never  openly  avowed 
in  all  our  country. 

As  soon  as  liberty  from  the  yoke  of  Britain  was 
achieved,  the  priests'  salaries  were  abolished,  and  our 
parsons  generally  left  us,  and  many  returned  to  England. 
Every  man  did  what  seemed  right  in  his  own  eyes ;  wick- 
edness abounded,  the  Lord's  Day  was  converted  into  a 
day  of  pleasure,  and  the  house  of  worship  deserted.  A 
few  Baptist  preachers  came  in  amongst  us,  some  of 
whom  I  well  remember ;  as,  Samuel  Harris,  Dutton  Lane, 
S.  Cantrell,  etc.  They  began  to  preach  to  the  people,  and 
great  effects  followed.  Multitudes  attended  their  minis- 
trations and  many  were  immersed.  Immersion  was  so 
novel  in  those  parts  that  many  from  a  distance  were 
incited  to  come  to  see  the  ordinance  administered. 

I  was  a  constant  attendant  and  was  particularly  inter- 
ested to  hear  the  converts  giving  in  their  experience.  Of 
their  conviction  and  great  distress  for  sin,  they  were  very 
particular  in  giving  an  account,  and  how  and  when  they 
obtained  deliverance  from  their  burdens.  Some  were 
delivered  by  a  droam,  a  vision,  or  some  uncommon 
appearance  of  light;  some  by  a  voice  spoken  to  them, 
"Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee,"  and  others  by  seeing  the 
Saviour  with  their  natural  eyes.  Such  experiences  were 
considered  good  by  the  church,  and  the  subjects  of  them 
were  received  for  baptism  and  into  full  fellowship.  Great 
and  good  was  the  reformation  in  society.  Knowing  noth- 
ing better.  I  considered  this  to  be  the  work  of  God  and 
the  way  of  salvation.  The  preachers  had  the  art  of 
affecting  their  hearers  by  a  tuneful  or  singing  voice  in 
preaching 

About  this  time  came  in  a  few  Methodist  preachers. 


n8  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

Their  appearance  was  prepossessing — grave,  holy,  meek, 
plain  .and  humble.  Their  very  presence  checked  levity  in 
all  around  them — their  zeal  was  fervent  and  unaffected, 
and  their  preaching  was  often  electric  on  the  congrega- 
tion and  fixed  their  attention.  The  Episcopalians  and 
Baptists  began  to  oppose  them  with  great  warmth.  The 
Baptists  represented  them  as  denying  the  doctrines  of 
grace  and  of  preaching  salvation  by  works.  They  pub- 
licly declared  them  to  be  the  locusts  of  the  Apocalypse, 
and  warned  the  people  against  receiving  them.  Poor 
Methodists !  They  were  then  but  few,  reproached,  mis- 
represented, and  persecuted  as  unfit  to  live  on  the  earth. 
My  mind  was  much  agitated,  and  was  vacillating  between 
these  two  parties.  For  some  time  I  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  retiring  in  secret,  morning  and  evening,  for  prayer, 
with  an  earnest  desire  for  religion  ;  but,  being  ignorant 
of  what  I  ought  to  do,  I  became  discouraged,  and  quit 
praying,  and  engaged  in  the  youthful  sports  of  the  day. 
My  father's  will  was  that  when  I,  the  youngest  child, 
should  arrive  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  his  estate 
should  be  equally  divided  among  his  children,  except  the 
part  bequeathed  to  my  mother.  When  I  was  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  of  age,  my  three  elder  brothers  were 
grown,  and  about  to  start  into  the  world  penniless.  It 
was  proposed  that  a  division  of  our  property  be  made. 
To  this  I  willingly  acceded,  and  it  was  accordingly  done 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  When  my  part  was  assigned 
me,  my  mind  was  absorbed  day  and  night  in  devising 
some  plan  to  improve  it.  At  length  I  came  to  the  deter- 
mination to  acquire,  if  possible,  a  liberal  education,  and 
thus  qualify  myself  for  a  barrister.  I  communicated  my 
mind  to  my  mother  and  brothers,  who  all  cordially  ap- 
proved of  my  purpose,  and  gave  the  promise  of  pecu- 
niary aid  should  I  need  it. 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.    STONE  119 


CHAPTER    II. 

Enters    Guilford    Academy — Embraces    Christianity    among    the 
Presbyterians — Completes  his  academic  course. 

Having  determined  on  my  future  course,  I  bade  fare- 
well to  my  mother,  brothers,  companions  and  neighbors 
and  directed  my  way  to  a  noted  academy"  in  Guilford, 
North  Carolina,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  David  Cald- 
well. Here  I  commenced  the  Latin  grammar  the  first 
day  of  February,  1790.  With  the  ardor  of  Eneas'  son,  I 
commenced  with  the  full  purpose  to  acquire  an  educa- 
tion, or  die  in  the  attempt.  With  such  a  mind,  every 
obstacle  can  be  surmounted  in  the  affairs  of  life.  I 
stripped  myself  of  every  hindrance  for  the  course — 
denied  myself  of  strong  food,  lived  chiefly  on  milk  and 
vegetables,  and  allowed  myself  but  six  or  seven  hours  in 
the  twenty- four  for  sleep.  By  such  indefatigable  appli- 
cation to  study,  as  might  be  expected,  I  passed  several 
classes,  until  I  came  up  with  one  of  equal  application, 
with  which  I  continued  through. the  whole  of  our  aca- 
demic course. 

When  I  first  entered  the  academy,  there  had  been, 
and  then  was,  a  great  religious  excitement.  About  thirty 
or  more  of  the  students  had  lately  embraced  religion 
under  the  ministration  of  James  McGready,  a  Presby- 
terian preacher  of  exceeding  popularity,  piety  and  en- 
gagedness.  ■  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  those 
pious  students  assembled  every  morning  before  the  hour 
of  recitation  and  engaged  in  singing  and  praying  in  a 
private  room.  Their  daily  walk  evinced  to  me  their  sin- 
cere piety  and  happiness.     This  was  a  source  of  uneasi- 


120  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

ness  to  my  mind,  and  frequently  brought  me  to  serious 
reflection.  I  labored  to  banish  these  serious  thoughts, 
believing  that  religion  would  impede  my  progress  in 
learning — would  thwart  the  object  I  had  in  view,  and 
expose  me  to  the  frowns  of  my  relatives  and  companions. 
I  therefore  associated  with  that  part  of  the  students  who 
made  light  of  divine  things,  and  joined  with  them  in 
their  jests  at  the  pious.  For  this  my  conscience  severely 
upbraided  me  when  alone,  and  made  me  so  unhappy  that 
I  could  neither  enjoy  the  company  of  the  pious  nor  of 
the  impious. 

I  now  began  seriously  to  think  it  would  be  better  for 
me  to  remove  from  this  academy,  and  go  to  Hampdenr 
Sidney  College,  in  Virginia ;  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  I  might  get  away  from  the  constant  sight  of  religion. 
I  had  formed  the  resolution  and  had  determined  to  start 
the  next  morning,  but  was  prevented  by  a  very  stormy 
day.  I  remained  in  my  room  during  that  day,  and  came 
to  the  firm  resolution  to  pursue  my  studies  there,  attend 
to  my  own  business,  and  let  every  one  pursue  his  own 
way.  From  this  I  have  learned  that  the  most  effectual 
way  to  conquer  the  depraved  heart  is  the  constant  ex- 
hibition of  piety  and  a  godly  life  in  the  professors  of 
religion. 

Having  formed  this  resolution,  I  was  settled  for  a 
short  time,  until  my  roommate,  Benjamin  McReynolds, 
a  pious  young  Virginian,  politely  asked  me  to  walk  with 
him  a  short  distance  in  the  neighborhood  to  hear  a  cer- 
tain preacher.  T  consented  and  walked  with  him.  A 
crowd  of  people  had  assembled,  the  preacher  came;  it 
was  James  McGready,  whom  I  had  never  seen  before. 
He  rose  and  looked  around  on  the  assembly.  His  person 
was  not  prepossessing,  nor  his  appearance  interesting, 
except  his  remarkable  gravity  and  small,  piercing  eyes. 


LIFE    OF    BARTOX    W.    STONE  121 

His  coarse,  tremulous  voice  excited  in  me  the  idea  of 
something  unearthly.  His  gestures  were  sui  generis,  the 
perfect  reverse  of  elegance.  Everything  appeared  by 
him  forgotten  but  the  salvation  of  souls.  Such  earnest- 
ness, such  zeal,  such  powerful  persuasion,  enforced  by 
the  joys  of  heaven  and  miseries  of  hell,  I  had  never  wit- 
nessed before.  My  mind  was  chained  by  him,  and  fol- 
lowed him  closely  in  his  rounds  of  heaven,  earth  and 
hell  with  feelings  indescribable.  His  concluding  remarks 
were  addressed  to  the  sinner  to  flee  the  wrath  to  come 
without  delay.  Never  before  had  I  comparatively  felt 
the  force  of  truth.  Such  was  my  excitement  that,  had  I 
been  standing,  I  should  have  probably  sunk  to  the  floor 
under  the  impression. 

The  meeting  over,  I  returned  to  my  room.  Night 
coming  on,  I  walked  out  into  an  open  field,  and  seriously 
reasoned  with  myself  on  the  all-important  subject  of 
religion.  What  shall  I  do  ?  Shall  I  embrace  religion 
now  or  not?  I  impartially  weighed  the  subject,  and 
counted  the  cost.  If  I  embrace  religion,  I  must  incur 
the  displeasure  of  my  dear  relatives,  lose  the  favor  and 
company  of  my  companions — become  the  object  of  their 
scorn  and  ridicule — relinquish  all  my  plans  and  schemes 
for  worldly  honor,  wealth  and  preferment,  and  bid  a  final 
adieu  to  all  the  pleasures  in  which  I  had  lived,  and  hoped 
to  live,  on  earth.  Are  you  willing  to  make  this  sacrifice 
to  religion?  No,  no,  was  the  answer  of  my  heart.  Then 
the  certain  alternative  is,  you  must  be  damned.  Are  you 
willing  to  be  damned — to  be  banished  from  God — from 
heaven — from  all  good — and  suffer  the  pains  of  eternal 
fire?  After  due  deliberation,  I  resolved  from  that 
hour  to  seek  religion  at  the  sacrifice  of  every  earthly 
good,  and  immediately  prostrated  myself  before  God  in 
supplication  for  mercy. 


122  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

According  to  the  preaching  and  the  experience  of  the 
pious  in  those  days,  I  anticipated  a  long  and  painful 
struggle  before  I  should  be  prepared  to  come  to  Christ; 
or.  in  the  language  then  used,  before  I  should  get  relig- 
ion. This  anticipation  was  completely  realized  by  me. 
For  one  year  I  was  tossed  on  the  waves  of  uncertainty — 
laboring,  praying  and  striving  to  obtain  saving  faith — 
sometimes  desponding,  and  almost  despairing,  of  ever 
getting  it. 

The  doctrines  then  publicly  taught  were  that  mankind 
were  so  totally  depraved  that  they  could  not  believe, 
repent  nor  obey  the  gospel — that  regeneration  was  an 
immediate  work  of  the  Spirit,  whereby  faith  and  repent- 
ance were  wrought  in  the  heart.  These  things  were  por- 
trayed in  vivid  colors,  with  all  earnestness  and  solemity. 
Now  was  not  then,  the  accepted  time — now  was  not 
then,  the  day  of  salvation  ;  but  it  was  God's  own  sov- 
ereign time,  and  for  that  time  the  sinner  must  wait. 

In  February,  1791,  with  many  of  my  fellow-students, 
I  went  some  distance  to  a  meeting  on  Sandy  River,  in 
Virginia.  J.  B.  Smith,  president  of  Hampden-Sidney 
College ;  Cairy  Allen,  James  Blythe,  Robert  Marshall  and 
James  McGready  were  there.  On  Lord's  Day  President 
Smith  spoke  on  these  words :  ''The  sacrifices  of  God  are 
a  broken  spirit ;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou 
wilt  not  despise."  In  his  description  of  a  broken  and 
contrite  heart,  I  felt  my  own  described.  Hope  began  to 
rise,  and  my  sorrow-worn  heart  felt  a  gleam  of  joy.  Fie 
urged  all  of  this  character  to  approach  the  Lord's  table 
that  day  on  pain  of  his  sore  displeasure.  For  the  first 
time  I  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  the  evening  the 
honest  J.  McGready  addressed  the  people  from  "Tekel, 
thou  art  weighed  in  the  balances,  and  art  found  want- 
ing."    He  went  through  all  the  legal  works  of  the  sinner 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    IV.    STONE  123 

— all  the  hiding-places  of  the  hypocrite — all  the  resting- 
places  of  the  deceived — he  drew  the  character  of  the 
regenerated  in  the  deepest  colors,  and  thundered  divine 
anathemas  against  every  other.  Before  he  closed  his 
discourse  I  had  lost  all  hope,  all  feeling,  and  had  sunk 
into  an  indescribable  apathy.  He  soon  after  inquired  of 
me  the  state  of  my  mind.  I  honestly  told  him.  He 
labored  to  arouse  me  from  my  torpor  by  the  terrors  of 
God  and  the  horrors  of  hell.  I  told  him  his  labors  were 
lost  upon  me — that  I  was  entirely  callous.  He  left  me 
in  this  gloomy  state  without  one  encouraging  word. 

In  this  state  I  remained  for  several  weeks.  I  wan- 
dered alone,  my  strength  failed  me,  and  sighs  and  groans 
filled  my  days.  My  relatives  in  Virginia  heard  of  my 
situation  and  sent  for  me.  My  altered  appearance  sur- 
prised them.  My  old  mother  took  me  in  private  and 
asked  what  was  the  matter.  I  told  her  all.  She  wept 
much.  She  had  always  been  a  praying  woman  and  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  England;  but  from  this  time 
she  more  earnestly  sought  the  Lord,  united  with  the 
Methodists,  and  lived  and  died  a  Christian.  My  visit 
proved  to  be  a  blessing  to  several  of  my  relatives,  who 
were  awakened  to  a  sense  of  their  dangerous  condition 
and  inclined  to  turn  to  the  Lord. 

After  a  few  days'  stay  in  Virginia,  I  returned  to  the 
academy  in  the  same  state  of  mind.  Soon  after  I 
attended  a  meeting  at  Alamance,  in  Guilford  County. 
Great  was  the  excitement  among  the  people.  On  the 
Lord's  Day  evening  a  strange  young  preacher,  William 
Hodge,  addressed  the  people.  His  text  I  shall  never  for- 
get:  "God  is  love."  With  much  animation  and  with 
many  tears  he  spoke  of  the  love  of  God  to  sinners,  and  of 
what  that  love  had  done  for  sinners.  My  heart  warmed 
with  love  for  that  lovely  character  described,  and  momen- 


124  THE    CAKE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOVSE 

tary  hope  and  joy  would  rise  in  my  troubled  breast.  My 
mind  was  absorbed  in  the  doctrine — to  me  it  appeared 
new.  But  the  common  admonition,  "Take  heed  lest  you 
be  deceived,"  would  quickly  repress  them.  This  can  not 
be  the  mighty  work  of  the  Spirit  which  you  must  experi- 
ence— that  instantaneous  work  of  almighty  power  which, 
like  an  electric  shock,  is  to  renew  the  soul  and  bring  it 
to  Christ. 

The  discourse  being  ended,  I  immediately  retired  to 
the  woods  alone  with  my  Bible.  Here  I  read  and  prayed 
with  various  feelings,  between  hope  and  fear.  But  the 
truth  I  had  just  heard,  "God  is  love,"  prevailed.  Jesus 
came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost — "Him  that  cometh  unto 
me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out."  I  yielded  and  sank  at  his 
feet  a  willing  subject.  I  loved  him — I  adored  him — I 
praised  him  aloud  in  the  silent  night,  in  the  echoing 
grove  around.  I  confessed  to  the  Lord  my  sin  and  folly 
in  disbelieving  his  word  so  long,  and  in  following  so  long 
the  devices  of  men.  I  now  saw  that  a  poor  sinner  was 
as  much  authorized  to  believe  in  Jesus  at  first  as  at  last — 
that  now  was  the  accepted  time  and  day  of  salvation. 

From  this  time  till  I  finished  my  course  of  learning  I 
lived  devoted  to  God.  The  study  of  the  dead  languages 
and  of  the  sciences  was  not  irksome,  but  pleasant,  from 
the  consideration  that  I  was  engaged  in  them  for  the 
glory  to  God,  to  whom  I  had  unreservedly  devoted  my 
all.  During  this  period  a  few  incidents  transpired  which 
were  severe  trials  of  my  faith.  My  expenses  for  board- 
ing, tuition,  clothing,  books,  etc.,  were  considerable,  far 
more  than  T  had  anticipated.  My  funds  were  nearly 
exhausted ;  my  small  patrimony  had  suffered  loss.  I 
could  not  procure  decent  clothes  or  books  or  things  indis- 
pensably necessary.  I  had  serious  thoughts  of  relinquish- 
ing my  studies,  and  mentioned  it  to  my  good  friend  and 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.   STONE  125 

father,  Dr.  Caldwell.  He  urged  me  to  go  forward,  and 
promised  to  wait  with  me  till  I  should  be  able  to  pay  b:m. 
Encouraged  by  him,  I  renewed  my  application  through 
difficulties  great  till  I  had  finished  my  course  of  studies. 


126  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEET1XG-H01SE 


CHAPTER    III. 

Becomes  a  candidate  for  the  ministry — Studies  theology  under 
Mr.  Hodge,  of  North  Carolina — Abandons,  for  a  time,  his 
theological  studies — Visits  Georgia — Is  appointed  professor 
of  languages  in  a  Methodist  academy  near  Washington — 
Returns  to  North  Carolina — Resumes  his  theological  studies 
— Is  licensed  by  Orange  Presbytery,  and  sent  to  preach  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  State — Is  discouraged — Leaves  his 
field  of  labor  and  directs  his  course  westward — A  variety 
of  incidents  on  his  journey  to  Nashville. 

Having  finished  my  academic  course,  I  advised  with 
my  good  friend  Dr.  Caldwell  with  regard  to  my  future 
career.  I  made  known  to  him  my  great  desire  to  preach 
the  gospel,  but  that  I  had  no  assurance  of  being  divinely 
called  and  sent.  He  removed  my  scruples  on  this  sub- 
ject, by  assuring  me  that  I  had  no  right  to  expect  a 
miracle  to  convince  me,  and  that  if  I  had  a  hearty  desire 
to  glorify  God  and  save  sinners  by  preaching,  and  if  my 
fathers  in  the  ministry  should  encourage  me,  I  should 
hesitate  no  longer.  He  was  glad  to  hear  of  my  desire, 
and,  in  order  to  expedite  my  licensure,  he  gave  me  a  text, 
and  requested  me  to  write  a  discourse  upon  it,  and  pre- 
sent it  to  the  next  presbytery,  when  T  should  offer  myself 
a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  By  doing  this  I  should  be 
set  forward  six  months. 

In  the  year  1793,  I,  with  several  more  of  my  fellow- 
students,  became  a  candidate  for  the  ministry  in  the 
Orange  Presbytery.  Samuel  Holmes,  a  prodigy  of  genius 
(afterwards  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Univer- 
sity ) ,  and  myself  put  ourselves  under  the  direction  of 
William  Hodge,  of  Orange  County,  North  Carolina.   The 


LIFE    OF    BART  OX    W.    STOXE  127 

presbytery  had  assigned  us  particular  subjects  of  divinity 
to  study,  as  parts  of  trial,  against  their  next  stated 
session,  among  which  were  the  being  and  attributes  of 
God  and  the  Trinity,  with  certain  theses  on  which  to 
write.  We  commenced  in  high  spirits.  "Witsius  on  the 
Trinity"  was  put  into  our  hands.  I  had  never  before 
read  any  books  on  theology  but  the  Bible.  This  had  been 
my  daily  companion  since  I  became  seriously  disposed  to 
religion.  From  it  I  had  received  all  my  little  stock  of 
divinity.  It  was  my  life,  my  comfort  and  guide.  In  fact, 
by  my  close  attention  to  other  studies,  I  had  but  little 
time  and  opportunity  to  read  anything  else.  My  mind 
had  remained  happily  ignorant  of  and  undisturbed  by 
polemic  and  obscure  divinity.  The  doctrine  of  the  Trin- 
ity may  have  been  occasionally  glanced  at  by  our  preach- 
ers, but  was  never  made  the  subject  of  a  discourse  in 
my  hearing. 

Witsius  would  first  prove  that  there  was  but  one  God, 
and  then  that  there  were  three  persons  in  this  one  God, 
the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost — that  the  Father  was 
unbegotten,  the  Son  eternally  begotten,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  eternally  proceeding  from  the  Father  and  the  Son 
— that  it  was  idolatry  to  worship  more  gods  than  one, 
and  yet  equal  worship  must  be  given  to  the  Father,  the 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost.  He  wound  up  all  in  incompre- 
hensible mystery.  My  mind  became  confused,  so  much 
confused  that  I  knew  not  how  to  pray.  Till  now  secret 
prayer  and  meditation  had  been  my  delightful  employ. 
It  was  a  heaven  on  earth  to  approach  my  God  and 
Saviour,  but  now  this  heavenly  exercise  was  checked 
and  gloominess  and  fear  filled  my  troubled  mind.  I  had 
serious  thoughts  of  relinquishing  the  study  of  theology 
entirely,  and  of  engaging  in  some  other  business.  I  made 
known  my  case  to  my  fellow-student,  S.  Holmes,  but  to 


128  THE    CANE   RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

none  else.  He  acknowledged  that  his  mind  was  similarly 
affected.  We  laid  the  book  aside  as  unprofitable  as  well 
as  unintelligible  to  us — calculated  to  involve  our  minds 
in  mystic  darkness,  and  to  cool  the  ardor  of  our  devotion. 
We  heard  of  Dr.  Watts'  treatise  on  the  subject.  We 
sought  for  it,  and  obtained  it.  This  we  read  with  pleas- 
ure and  understanding  and  received  his  views. 

The  next  session  of  our  presbytery  came  on.  We 
with  many  other  candidates  attended.  Old  Father  Patillo 
was  there,  who  himself  embraced  Watts'  views  on  the 
Trinity.  The  examination  of  the  candidates" on  theology 
was  laid  on  him.  When  he  came  to  the  subject  of  Trin- 
ity, he  was  very  short,  and  his  interrogatories  involved 
no  peculiarities  of  the  system.  Our  answers  were  honest 
and  satisfactory.  The  reasons  why  he  was  so  short  and 
indefinite  on  this  subject  were  doubtless  to  prevent  de- 
bate on  the  subject  in  presbytery,  and  to  maintain  peace 
among  its  members. 

Before  the  next  session  of  the  presbytery,  when  we 
were  to  receive  licensure,  my  mind  had  become  much 
depressed,  from  various  causes.  My  pecuniary  resources 
had  failed  and  none  of  my  relatives  were  willing  to  aid 
me.  Having  been  so  long  engaged  and  confined  to  the 
study  of  systematic  divinity  from  the  Calvinistic  mold, 
my  zeal,  comfort  and  spiritual  life  became  considerably 
abated.  My  mind  was  embarrassed  with  many  abstruse 
doctrines,  which  I  admitted  as  true,  yet  could  not  satis- 
factorily reconcile  with  others  which  were  plainly  taught 
in  the  Bible.  For  these  causes  I  became  so  depressed  in 
mind  that  I  determined  to  give  up  the  idea  of  preaching, 
and  engage  in  some  other  calling. 

With  this  determination,  I  collected  my  last  resources 
of  money  (about  fifteen  dollars)  and  started  alone  to  the 
State  of  Georgia.     Wrhen  I  had  gone  half  my  journey,  I 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.    STONE  129 

was  suddenly  seized  with  a  violent  fever.  Being  scarce 
of  money,  and  entirely  among  strangers,  I  determined  to 
travel  on.  One  day  the  fever  rose  so  high  that  I  was 
bereft  of  reason,  and  found  by  a  philanthropist  sitting  on 
my  horse,  which  was  feeding  by  the  side  of  the  road. 
He  took  me  to  his  house,  where  I  remained  till  the  next 
morning,  when  the  fever  had  considerably  abated  and  my 
senses  were  restored.  Contrary  to  good  advice,  I  started 
on  my  journey,  and  with  much  pain  arrived  at  my 
brother  Matthew  Stone's  in  Georgia,  Oglethorpe  County. 
Here  I  remained  sick  for  several  months. 

The  Methodists  had  just  established  an  academy  near 
Washington,  under  the  superintendence  of  a  Mr.  Hope 
Hull,  a  very  distinguished  preacher  of  that  denomina- 
tion. Through  the  influence  of  my  brothers,  I  was  chosen 
professor  of  languages.  We  commenced  with  about  sev- 
enty students  about  the  beginning  of  1795.  I  exerted 
myself  to  fill  the  appointment  with  honor  to  myself  and 
profit  to  my  pupils,  and  had  the  unspeakable  satisfaction 
of  receiving  the  approbation  of  the  trustees  of  the  insti- 
tution and  of  the  literati  of  the  country.  Men  of  letters 
were  few  at  that  time,  especially  in  that  part  of  the 
world,  and  were  regarded  with  more  than  common 
respect.  The  marked  attention  paid  me  by  the  most 
respectable  part  of  the  community  was  nearly  my  ruin. 
Invitations  to  tea  parties  and  social  circles  were  frequent. 
I  attended  them  for  awhile,  until  I  found  that  this  course 
would  cause  me  to  make  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good 
conscience.  Though  I  still  maintained  the  profession  of 
religion,  and  did  not  disgrace  it  by  improper  conduct,  yet 
my  devotion  was  cold  and  communion  with  God  much 
interrupted.  Seeing  my  danger,  I  denied  myself  of  these 
fascinating  pleasures,  and  determined  to  live  more  de- 
voted to  God. 


i3o  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOL'SE 

I  constantly  attended  on  the  ministrations  of  Mr. 
Springer,  a  very  zealous  Presbyterian  preacher,  near 
Washington.  With  him  I  became  intimate,  and  to  him 
was  warmly  attached.  By  his  discourses  I  was  always 
profited,  and  began  to  feel  a  very  strong  desire  again  to 
preach  the  gospel.  These  impressions  I  resisted  and 
labored  to  suppress;  the  consequence  of  which  was  that 
my  comforts  were  destroyed.  At  length  I  determined  to 
resume  my  theological  studies  and  prepare  myself  for  the 
ministry. 

About  this  time  a  great  many  Frenchmen,  who  had 
fled  from  the  reign  of  terror  in  France,  landed  in 
Georgia.  Washington  was  full  of  them.  The  trustees 
of  the  academy  employed  one  of  them,  Francois  Aubir, 
to  teach  the  French  language.  With  him  I  learned  the 
language  more  perfectly,  having  acquired  some  knowl- 
edge of  it  before  with  a  certain  Dr.  Hale,  of  North 
Carolina. 

In  the  winter  of  1795,  I  accompanied  a  number  of 
Methodist  preachers  to  a  general  conference  at  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  Hope  Hull  was  among  them.  It 
was  a  pleasant  journey,  and  our  stay  in  the  city  was 
highly  agreeable.  The  road  from  the  Black  Swamp  to 
Charleston  was  surpassed  by  none  in  the  world  for 
beauty  and  goodness.  It  was  perfectly  level  and  straight. 
On  each  side  it  was  beautified  with  evergreens  in  the 
swamps,  and  with  stately,  long-leaf  pines  and  pendent 
muss  on  the  sands  and  dry  ground. 

Having  returned  tc  Washington,  I  continued  to  teach 
till  the  spring  of  1796.  Then,  having  resigned  my  pro- 
fessorship to  the  trustees,  I  started  back  to  Xorth 
Carolina,  with  a  determination  to  receive  from  Orange 
Presbytery  a  license  to  preach.  I  had  now  more  than 
enough  money  to  discharge  all  my  debts.     The  day  of 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.    STONE  131 

my  departure  was  a  day  of  sorrow.  I  bade  an  affec- 
tionate farewell  to  my  pupils  and  numerous  friends  and 
hurried  off  alone.  Nothing  of  moment  occurred  in  my 
solitary  journey  till  1  arrived  at  the  presbytery.  Here  I 
met  with  many  of  my  warm  friends,  and  our  joyful  salu- 
tation was  mutual. 

At  this  presbytery  I,  with  several  other  candidates, 
received  license.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  impressions 
made  on  my  mind  when  a  venerable  old  father  addressed 
the  candidates,  standing  up  together  before  the  presby- 
tery. After  the  address  he  presented  to  each  of  the 
candidates  the  Bible  (not  the  Confession  of  Faith),  with 
this  solemn  charge,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature."  Appointments  were  then 
made  for  us.  Robert  Foster  and  myself,  licensed  at  the 
same  time,  were  appointed  to  ride  and  preach  in  the 
lower  parts  of  the  State,  till  the  next  stated  presbytery. 
After  adjournment  I  proceeded  to  my  mother's,  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

Having  remained  at  my  mother's  a  short  time,  I 
returned  to  North  Carolina,  and  met  with  my  colleague, 
R.  Foster,  and,  having  preached  together,  we  proceeded 
to  our  destination  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  State,  where 
we  arrived  in  a  few  days,  and  made  our  appointments 
for  the  Lord's  Day  following.  While  we  were  waiting 
for  our  first  appointment,  my  companion  came  to  the 
determination  to. preach  no  more,  and  in  this  purpose  he 
remained  through  life,  for  he  never  after  attempted  it. 
His  reason  was  that  he  was  not  qualified  for  such  a 
solemn  work.  This  was  the  prevailing  argument  I  had 
brought  against  myself:  and  now,  coming  from  one 
against  himself,  whom  I  viewed  my  superior,  I  sank 
under  it,  and  secretly  resolved  to  leave  that  field  and  seek 
some    distant    country,    where    I    should    be    a    perfect 


132  THE    CAKE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOVSE 

stranger.  Florida  was  then  in  my  view.  Xext  morning, 
while  my  companion  was  absent,  I  mounted  my  horse 
and  started  alone.  This  was  on  Saturday,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  May,  1796. 

On  the  Lord's  Day  I  attended  a  meeting  in  the  neigh- 
borhood where  I  had  lodged  the  night  before.  A  pious 
old  lady  was  there  and  knew  me.  She  suspected  my 
intentions,  and  told  me  plainly  that  she  feared  I  was  act- 
ing the  part  of  Jonah — solemnly  warned  me  of  the  dan- 
ger, and  advised  me,  if  I  disliked  the  lower  parts  of  the 
State,  to  go  over  the  mountains  to  the  west.  This  advice 
pleased  me,  and  determined  me  at  once  for  the  west.  In 
the  evening  of  that  day,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  Robert 
Foster  in  the  congregation.  He  approached  me  and 
gently  upbraided  me  for  leaving  him.  I  told  him  my 
determination  to  go  to  the  west.  He  immediately  agreed 
to  accompany  me.  Xext  morning  we  started  without 
naming  to  any  one  our  destination. 

We  quickly  got  into  the  region  of  strangers,  and 
wished  to  remain  among  such  through  life — to  such  a 
low  state  had  our  minds  fallen.  Having  crossed  the 
mountain  at  the  flower  gap,  and  Xew  River  at  Herbert's 
Ferry,  we  were  jogging  leisurely  along  the  way  to  Fort 
Chiswell,  when,  passing  a  small  house  on  the  roadside,  a 
man  hailed  us  and  ran  out  to  us.  He  was  an  intimate 
acquaintance  and  a  pious  brother,  Captain  Sanders,  from 
North  Carolina.  He  was  moving  his  family  to  Cumber- 
land, but  by  some  accident  was  obliged  to  abide  where 
he  was  for  one  season.  He  constrained  us  to  tarry  with 
him,  and  said,  "You  must  preach  for  us  next  Sabbath  at 
the  Presbyterian  meeting-house,"  not  far  distant.  We 
both  refused,  but  at  length  consented  that  he  might  make 
an  appointment  for  worship,  and  we  would  attend  and 
worship  with  them. 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.    STONE  I33 

On  Lord's  Day  a  large  congregation  met  at  Grimes' 
meeting-house  on  Reed  Creek.,  With  great  difficulty  I 
was  prevailed  on  to  ascend  the  pulpit.  While  singing 
and  praying  my  mind  was  happily  relieved,  and  I  was 
enabled  to  speak  with  boldness  and  with  profit  to  the 
people.  I  was  pressingly  solicited  for  another  appoint- 
ment. This  congregation,  and  several  more  in  the  county 
(Wythe,  Virginia),  were  all  entirely  destitute  of  preach- 
ing. I  prevailed  on  my  companion  to  tarry  another  week, 
and  afterwards  we  would  push  forward,  we  knew  not 
where.  I  made  several  appointments  for  the  ensuing 
week — one  at  Smith's  meeting-house,  near  Samuel 
Ewen's,  an  Israelite  in  whom  was  no  guile  ;  another  at 
Colonel  Austin's,  the  proprietor  of  the  lead  mines  on 
Xew  River.  The  urgent  and  affectionate  entreaties  of 
the  people  for  me  to  abide  with  them  for  awhile  pre- 
vailed, and  I  made  a  number  of  appointments.  My 
companion  determined  to  leave  me,  journeying  to  the 
west.  On  May  23,  1796,  he  left  me.  The  separation 
was  painful,  nor  did  we  know  where  or  when  we  should 
ever  meet  in  this  world. 

I  continued  in  Wythe  and  Montgomery  Counties, 
preaching  frequently,  till  July.  The  people  were  atten- 
tive, kind  and  liberal,  yet  I  greatly  desired  to  go  forward 
to  the  west,  and  bade  them  farewell,  never  expecting  to 
visit  them  again.  That  night,  according  to  a  previous 
promise,  I  lodged  with  Mr.  Stonger,  a  Dutch  Lutheran 
minister.  I  was  kindly  received  and  entertained.  I  find 
in  my  journal,  written  at  that  time,  these  Latin  words: 
Nocte  pulices  me  dcturbant,  ct  somnum  fugant.  Tacdct 
me  vitae. 

The  next  day  I  journeyed  forward,  and  at  night  came 
to  Mr.  Thomas',  on  South  Holstein.  I  had  inquired  into 
the  character  of  the  family  before  I  came  there.     I  was 


i34  THE    CANE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

informed  that  they  were  a  very  religious  family  of  Bap- 
tists— that  the  old  lady  and  daughter  were  very  zealous. 
My  horse  being  put  away.  1  went  into  the  house  and  sat 
down  in  silence.  The  old  lady  and  daughter  were  busily 
spinning,  and  the  old  gentleman  in  conversation  with 
another  aged  man.  One  of  them  observed  to  the  other 
that  a  discovery  had  been  lately  made  that  if  the  logs  of 
a  house  be  cut  in  the  full  moon  of  February,  a  bedbug 
would  never  molest  that  house.  I  was  so  well  pleased 
with  the  idea  of  unhousing  these  filthy,  hateful  vermin 
that  I  broke  silence,  and  felicitated  the  country  on  this 
happy  discovery.  I  then  asked  whether  any  discovery 
had  been  made  for  banishing  fleas  from  a  house.  I  was 
answered  in  the  negative.  "That  is  a  pity,"  said  I ;  "for  I 
have  heard  of  such  a  place  as  hell;  but  if  hell  is  worse 
than  to  be  bedded  with  ten  thousand  fleas,  it  must  be  a 
dreadful  place."  This,  as  I  intended,  roused  the  mother 
and  daughter.  "Yes,"  said  the  old  lady,  "there  is  a  hell, 
and  if  you  do  not  repent  and  be  converted,  you  will  find 
it  to  your  eternal  sorrow."  The  daughter  zealously  sanc- 
tioned these  awful  declarations,  and  both  of  them  afrec- 
tionately  exhorted  me  to  repentance  in  many  words.  For 
some  minutes  they  gave  me  no  opportunity  to  respond. 
At  length  I  smilingly  said,  "You  are  Christians,  I  sup- 
pose;  Christianity  may  be  a  good  thing,  but,  madam, 
there  are  strange  things  in  that  system  hard  to  be  under- 
stood. I  heard  a  man  lately  preach  that  a  man  must  be 
born  again  before  he  could  get  to  heaven  ;  now,  do  you 
believe  this?"  "Yes,  I  do,"  said  she,  calling  me  an  igno- 
rant Nicodemus.  "Do,  madam,  tell  me  what  it  is  to  be 
born  again."  She  described  it  well,  and  really  felt  for 
my  supposed  condition.  I  stated  many  common  cavils 
against  the  doctrine,  which  she  answered  with  intelli- 
gence.    Wearied  with  my  supposed  infidelity,  she  ceased 


LIFE    OF   BARTOX    W.    STOXE  135 

to  talk.  The  old  man  took  a  candle  and  invited  me  to 
bed.  I  observed  to  him.  "I  wish  to  hear  you  pray  first, 
for  Christians  always  pray  in  their  families  evening  and 
morning."  He  was  thunder-stricken  and  walked  the  floor 
backwards  and  forward:.,  deeply  groaning.  The  old  lady 
laid  the  Bible  en  the  table;  still  he  walked  and  groaned. 
1  then  said.  "If  you  will  not  pray,  I  will  try."  I  then 
advanced  to  the  table,  read,  sung  and  prayed,  and  imme- 
diately retired  to  bed.  Next  morning  I  rose  early,  and 
was  met  at  the  door  of  the  stairs  by  the  mocher  and 
daughter.  They  gently  reproved  me  for  my  deception, 
apologized  for  their  conduct,  and  dismissed  me  with  their 
blessings. 

I  started  in  the  morning  early  on  my  journey  to 
Cumberland,  and  on  Saturday  night  lodged  near  wdiere 
Edward  Crawford,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  lived,  on 
Holstein.  On  Sunday  I  attended  his  meeting,  a  perfect 
stranger,  and  determined  to  remain  so  till  after  worship. 
Here,  to  my  astonishment,  I  saw  my  companion,  Robert 
Foster,  who  had  stopped  in  that  neighborhood  and  was 
teaching  a  school.  He  proposed  introducing  me  to  the 
preacher.  I  declined  an  introduction  till  after  worship. 
He  would  do  it,  and  the  consequence  was  I  had  to  preach. 
On  Holstein  I  tarried  several  days,  and  formed  some 
valuable  acquaintances,  among  whom  Samuel  Edmonson 
and  his  brother  were  pre-eminent.  Xear  them  is  the 
Ebbing  Spring,  to  me  a  great  natural  curiosity. 

I  left  my  companion,  R.  Foster,  whom  I  saw  no  more 
for  many  years.  Our  last  interview  was  in  Tennessee, 
scon  after  which  he  died.  I  journeyed  solitarily  along  to 
Knoxville.  and  went  to  the  house  of  rendezvous  for  trav- 
elers through  the  wilderness  to  Nashville.  Traveling 
through  the  wilderness  was  yet  considered  dangerous 
because  of  the  Indians.     But  two  travelers  were  at  the 


136  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

house   waiting   for  company.      1   was  overpersuaded  by 
them  to  venture  through.     Having  laid  up  our  provision 

for  ourselves  and  horses,  we  left  Knoxville,  August  14, 
1796. 

My  two  companions  were  of  very  different  tempera- 
ments. (  me  was  a  West  Tennesseean,  a  large,  coarse 
backwoodsman  and  Indian  lighter  of  great  courage  :  the 
other  was  a  South  Carolinian,  the  greatest  coward  I  ever 
saw.  We  chose  the  Tennesseean  for  our  captain  and 
leader.  Nothing  of  any  note  happened  until  we  had 
crossed  Clinch  River.  About  sunset  we  discovered  fifteen 
or  twenty  Indians  about  a  hundred  yards  distant  from  us 
on  the  edge  of  a  canebreak.  They  sprang  up.  Our 
leader  said  to  us.  "Follow  me."  and  rode  on  with  a  quick 
pace.  We  followed  with  equal  speed  for  several  miles, 
then  slacked  our  gait  for  a  council.  It  was  concluded 
that  the  Indians  would  pursue  us,  but  if  they  had  no 
dogs  we  could  evade  them.  The  Cumberland  Mountain 
was  but  a  few  miles  ahead ;  we  knew  that  we  could  not 
ascend  it  at  night  without  danger  to  ourselves  and  horses, 
therefore  concluded  to  turn  off  the  road  a  short  distance 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  lie  concealed  till  morn- 
ing. According  to  this  arrangement,  we  cautiously  rode 
to  the  mountain,  turned  aside  into  a  thick  brushwood, 
tied  our  horses,  and  laid  down  on  our  blankets  to  rest. 
Being  much  fatigued,  I  slept  so  soundly  that  I  did  not 
perceive  a  shower  of  rain,  which  had  awaked  the  other 
two  and  driven  them  off  to  seek  shelter.  At  length  I 
awoke  and  missed  my  company.  Everything  was  pro- 
foundly silent,  except  the  wolves  and  foxes  in  the  moun- 
tain. My  feelings  were  unpleasant.  I  almost  concluded 
that  the  Indians  had  surprised  them,  and  that  they  had 
fled.  I  remembered  that  the  same  God  who  had  always 
protected  me  was  present,  and  could  protect  me  still.    To 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  137 

him  I  humbly  commended  myself,  laid  down  again,  and 
securely  slept  till  day,  when  I  saw  my  companions  about 
a  hundred  yards  off,  sheltered  by  a  large  tree.  I  blamed 
them  for  leaving  me  thus  exposed  to  the  ravening  beasts 
around. 

In  climbing  the  mountain  that  morning,  my  horse  lost 
one  of  his  fore  shoes.  At  this  I  was  troubled,  knowing 
that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  get  him  to  the 
settlement  in  Cumberland.  He  soon  became  very  lame. 
I  applied  to  the  Tennesseean  to  let  me  ride  his  pack- 
horse,  and  put  his  pack  on  mine.  He  unfeelingly  re- 
fused. I  trotted  after  my  horse,  and  drove  him  along 
after  the  company,  till  I  was  overcome  by  weariness. 
They  neither  permitted  me  to  ride  their  horses,  nor 
slacked  their  pace,  and  finally  rode  off,  and  left  me  alone 
in  the  wilderness.  I  traveled  leisurely  along  afoot,  driv- 
ing my  horse  before  me,  vexed  at  the  baseness  of  my 
company  in  leaving  me  alone  in  this  manner. 

I  had  now  arrived  at  the  frontier  settlement  of  West 
Tennessee,  on  Bledsoe's  Creek,  at  the  cabin  of  Major 
White.  Here  I  was  kindly  entertained,  and  rested  sev- 
eral days,  and  then  proceeded  to  Shilch,  near  where  Gal- 
latin now  stands.  Here  I  joyfully  met  with  many  old 
friends  and  brethren,  who  had  lately  moved  from  Caro- 
lina, among  whom  were  my  fellow-students  and  fellow- 
laborers,  William  McGee  and  John  Anderson,  the  latter 
of  whom  agreed  to  travel  and  preach  with  me  through 
all  the  settlements  of  Cumberland.  A  length  of  time  was 
not  then  required  to  do  this,  for  the  settlements  extended 
but  a  few  miles  from  Nashville,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
poor  little  village,  hardly  worth  notice. 

Among  other  settlements  visited  by  us  was  that  on 
Mansker's  Creek.  Here  we  often  preached  to  respect- 
able and  large  assemblies  from  a  stand  erected  by  the 


138  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

people  in  a  shady  grove.  At  the  same  time  a  dancing 
master  was  lecturing  the  youth  in  the  neighborhood  in 
his  art.  This  I  evidently  saw  was  drawing  their  attention 
from  religion.  I  spoke  my  mind  publicly  and  freely 
against  the  practice,  and  boldly  and  zealously  protested 
against  it.  Some  of  the  youth  withdrew  from  his  lec- 
tures, which  highly  exasperated  the  teacher.  He  swore 
he  would  whip  me  the  next  time  I  preached  there.  I 
came  to  my  appointment,  and  so  did  he  with  a  band  of 
ruffians,  armed  with  clubs,  and  stood  in  a  half  circle 
before  me  while  preaching,  in  striking  distance  Un- 
appalled  at  their  menaces,  I  proceeded  in  my  discourse, 
nor  did  I  forget  the  dancers,  but  drubbed  them  without 
mercy.  The  bandits  soon  saw  that  the  gaze  of  the  con- 
gregation was  upon  them.  Like  cowards,  they  sneaked 
off,  one  by  one,  and  disappeared. 

At  the  same  place,  and  at  another  time,  I  was  publicly 
attacked  by  an  old  deist,  immediately  after  I  had  closed 
my  discourse  and  descended  from  the  stand.  lie  walked 
up  to  me  and  said,  "I  suppose  you  know  me,  sir."  "No, 
sir,"  said  I,  "I  have  no  knowledge  of  you."  "I  am  Burns, 
the  celebrated  deist  of  this  neighborhood."  "Mr.  Burns," 
said  I,  "I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  boast  of  your  infidelity  ; 
pray,  sir.  inform  me  what  is  a  deist?"  Said  he,  "The 
man  that  believes  there  is  but  one  God."  "Sir."  said  I, 
"this  is  my  belief,  taught  me  by  the  Bible.  But,  sir,  what 
is  the  character  of  your  God?"  "I  believe,"  said  he,  "that 
he  is  infinitely  good,  just  and  merciful."  "Whence.  Mr. 
Burns,  did  you  gain  this  information?"  "From  the  book 
of  nature,"  said  he.  "Mr.  Burns,  please  to  show  me  the 
page  in  that  book  which  declares  that  God  is  infinitely 
good."  "Why,"  said  he,  "all  nature  declares  it.  We  see 
the  traces  of  goodness  everywhere,  hence  I  conclude  that 
God,   the   great   Governor   of   the   universe,   is   infinitely 


LIFE   OF   BARTON    IV.   STONE  139 

good."  "Mr.  Burns,  please  turn  your  eye  on  the  opposite 
page  of  your  book,  and  see  the  miseries,  and  attend  to 
the  groans  of  the  millions  who  are  suffering  and  dying 
every  moment.  You  must  conclude,  from  your  own- 
premises,  that  God,  the  great  Governor  of  the  universe, 
is  al-o  infinitely  evil  and  malevolent.  Your  God,  Mr. 
Burns,  is  infinitely  good,  and  infinitely  evil — a  perfect 
contradiction !  You  must  be  an  atheist,  Mr.  Burns,  not 
a  deist.  You  said,  also,  that  your  book  taught  you  that 
God  was  infinitely  just.  Please  show  me  the  page  in 
your  book  that  teaches  this  doctrine."  Said  he,  "It  is 
evident  from  this  that  there  is  a  principle  of  justice  in 
every  man  ;  therefore  I  conclude  that  God,  the  Maker  of 
all  men,  must  be  infinitely  just."  "Mr.  Burns,  I  can  show 
you  in  your  own  book  as  many  men  of  unjust  principles 
as  you  can  men  of  just  principles.  Then  it  follows,  from 
your  premises,  that  God,  the  Maker,  is  infinitely  just  and 
infinitely  unjust.  Surely,  Mr.  Burns,  atheism  is  your 
creed!  But,  sir,  look  here,  on  this  page  of  your  book. 
Here  is  a  good  citizen,  a  good  husband,  a  good  father, 
acknowledged  such  by  all;  yet  his  whole  life  is  full  of 
suffering,  pain  and  want.  Here  also  is  a  bad  citizen,  a 
bad  husband,  a  bad  father,  acknowledged  such  by  all ; 
yet  he  is  free  from  pain  and  wallows  in  wealth.  How 
can  you  reconcile  this  with  the  infinite  justice  of  God,  the 
great  Governor  of  the  universe?"  Air.  Burns'  lips  quiv- 
ered, the  whole  congregation  intensely  listening.  "Oh," 
says  he,  "just  rewards"  will  be  given  in  another  world." 
"But,  Mr.  Burns,  your  book  nowhere  teaches  this  doc- 
trine; you  have  stolen  it  from  our  Bible."  "Sir,"  said 
he,  "I  will  see  you  at  another  time."  and  retired  in  con- 
fusion, the  congregation  smiling  approbation  at  his  de- 
feat. 

My  colleague,  J.  Anderson,  having  preached  through 


i4o  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

the  settlements  of  West  Tennessee,  determined  to  visit 
Kentucky.  We  had  our  last  appointment  in  Father 
Thomas  Craighead's  congregation,  in  which  neighbor- 
hood we  had  often  preached.  As  we  expected  a  large 
and  intelligent  audience,  we  endeavored  to  prepare  dis- 
courses suitable  to  the  occasion.  My  companion  Ander- 
son, first  rose  to  preach  from  these  words :  "Without 
holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  I  shall  never  forget 
his  exordium,  which,  in  fact,  was  also  his  peroration. 
"Holiness/1  said  he,  "is  a  moral  quality" — he  paused, 
having  forgotten  all  his  studied  discourse.  Confused,  he 
turned  with  staring  eyes  to  address  the  other  side  of  his 
audience,  and  repeated  with  emphasis,  "Holiness  is  a 
moral  quality,"  and,  after  a  few  incoherent  words,  he 
paused  again,  and  sat  down.  Astonished  at  the  failure 
of  my  brother,  I  arose  and  preached.  He  declared  to  me 
afterwards  that  every  idea  had  forsaken  him ;  that  he 
viewed  it  as  from  God,  to  humble  his  pride,  as  he  had 
expected  to  make  a  brilliant  display  of  talent  to  that 
assembly.  I  never  remembered  a  sermon  better,  and  to 
me  it  has  been  very  profitable  ;  for,  from  the  hint  given, 
I  was  led  to  more  correct  views  of  the  doctrines  of  origi- 
nal sin  and  of  regeneration. 


DAVID  PURVIANpw. 


LIFE   OF   BAKTOX    W.   STONE  143 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Reaches  Kentucky  and  settles  in  the  close  of  the  year  1796,  as 
the  preacher  of  the  congregations  of  Cane  Ridge  and  Con- 
cord, Bourbon  County — Is  appointed  by  Transylvania  Pres- 
bytery to  visit  the  South,  to  solicit  funds  to  establish  a 
college  in  Kentucky — From  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  he 
visits  his  mother,  and  returns  to  Kentucky — In  the  fall  of 
1798  receives  a  call  (which  he  accepts)  from  the  united  con- 
gregations of  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord — A  day  is  appointed 
for  his  ordination — Refuses  to  receive  the  Confession  of  Faith 
without   qualification — Is   nevertheless   ordained. 

Having  finished  our  labors  in  Cumberland,  we  started 
for  Kentucky.  We  traveled  through  an  extensive,  unin- 
habited tract  of  barrens,  or  prairies,  but  now  a  fine  tim- 
bered country,  densely  settled  by  wealthy  farmers.  We 
continued  to  preach  in  Kentucky  till  the  winter  set  in 
severely.  Brother  Anderson  stopped  by  invitation  at 
Ashridge,  near  Lexington,  and  I  at  Cane  Ridge  and  Con- 
cord, in  Bourbon  County.  That  winter,  or  early  in  the 
spring,  a  letter  of  importance  recalled  my  companion, 
Anderson,  to  Carolina,  whose  face  I  have  never  since 
seen. 

In  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord  I  spent  the  chief  of  my 
time,  at  the  request  of  the  congregations.  I  now  learned 
experimentally  that  the  rambling  course  of  preaching 
which  I  had  taken  was  of  little  profit  to  society  and  ruin- 
ous to  the  mental  improvement  of  young  preachers.  I 
received  the  advice  of  my  friends  to  become  stationary 
for  awhile,  and  apply  myself  closely  to  reading  and  study. 
I  witnessed  the  good  effects  of  this  procedure,  for  many 
were  added  to  the  churches  within  a  few  months — about 


144  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

fifty  in  Concord  and  thirty  in  Cane  Ridge.  I  became 
much  attached  to  these  congregations,  and  was  persuaded 
that  the  attachment  was  reciprocal.  I  at  length  yielded 
to  their  solicitations  to  become  their  settled  and  perma- 
nent pastor. 

Some  unsettled  business  in  Georgia  demanded  my 
presence  there.  By  the  Transylvania  Presbytery  I  was 
solicited  and  appointed  to  visit  Charleston,  in  South  Caro- 
lina, and  endeavor  to  obtain  money  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  college  in  our  infant  State.  I  accepted 
the  appointment,  having  determined  from  Charleston  to 
return  through  Virginia,  and  visit  my  mother  and  rela- 
tions. 

Marauding  parties  of  Indians  still  infested  travelers 
in  the  wilderness  between  Kentucky  and  Virginia,  so  that 
travelers  always  went  in  companies  prepared  for  defense. 
In  the  fall  of  1797  I  left  Cane  Ridge  for  Georgia,  in 
company  with  Henry  Wilson,  who,  with  a  led  horse 
packed  with  silver,  was  going  to  Virginia  on  land  busi- 
ness. Having  repaired  to  the  house  of  rendezvous  for 
travelers  at  the  Crab  Orchard,  we  learned  that  a  com- 
pany had  just  left  that  place  two  hours  before,  with 
intention  to  encamp  at  the  Hazlepatch  that  night.  We 
instantly  followed  at  a  quick  pace,  determined  to  ride  late 
and  overtake  them.  About  ten  o'clock  we  came  to  Hazle- 
patch, but  to  our  distress  we  found  no  one  there.  My 
companion,  being  an  early  settler  of  Kentucky  and  often 
engaged  in  war  with  the  Indians,  advised  to  turn  off  the 
road  some  distance,  and  encamp  till  day.  Having  kindled 
a  fire,  supped,  hobbled  our  horses,  and  prayed  together, 
we  laid  down  in  our  blankets  to  rest.  But  we  were  soon 
aroused  from  our  slumbers  by  the  snorting  and  running 
of  our  horses.  We  sprang  up,  and  saw  a  fire  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  below  us,  and  in  a  moment  it  was 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.    STOXE  145 

pulled  asunder  ;  as  quickly  did  my  companion  pull  ours 
apart  also.  He  whispered  to  me,  "They  are  Indians  after 
our  horses."  We  laid  down  again,  not  to  sleep,  but  to 
consult  the  best  method  of  escape.  We  soon  distinctly 
heard  an  Indian  cautiously  walking  on  the  dry  leaves 
towards  our  camp,  about  fifty  yards  off.  Fearing  he 
might  shoot  us  in  our  blankets,  without  noise  we  crept 
into  the  bushes.  Becoming  very  chilly  there,  and  con- 
trary to  advice,  I  returned  to  my  blanket,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  my  companion.  A  short  time  after  we  heard 
the  Indian  walk  off  in  the  same  cautious  manner.  We 
concealed  the  bag  of  money  and  most  valuable  goods  and 
hung  up  our  blankets  and  bags  of  provisions  over  our 
camp,  and  cautiously  went  towards  the  course  our  horses 
had  gone.  When  it  was  day,  we  found  their  trace,  and 
overtook  them  about  eight  o'clock,  and  rode  back  very 
watchfully  to  our  camp.  When  we  came  near,  with  diffi- 
culty we  compelled  our  horses  to  advance,  they  frequently 
snorting  and  wheeling  back.  Every  moment  we  expected 
to  be  fired  upon,  but  were  mercifully  preserved.  We 
packed  up  very  quickly,  and  swiftly  pursued  the  com- 
pany, and  late  in  the  day  came  up  with  them.  They 
informed  us  that  when  they  came  to  the  Hazlepatch  the 
evening  before  they  found  a  camp  of  white  people,  just 
before  defeated,  several  lying  dead  and  mangled  in  In- 
dian style  :  that  they  pushed  forward  and  traveled  late  at 
night.  We  clearly  saw  the  kind  hand  of  God  in  deliver- 
ing us. 

Having  passed  through  the  wilderness,  our  company 
parted;  some  for  Virginia,  the  rest,  with  myself,  for 
Georgia.  After  having  settled  my  business,  visited  my 
relations,  and  preached  through  the  country  for  several 
weeks,  I  started  alone  to  Charleston.  Nothing  of  note 
happened  in  my  journey,  except  that  by  my  caution  and 


146  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

the  fleetness  of  my  horse  I  escaped  a  band  of  robbers, 
who  attempted  to  stop  me.  I  had  been  previously  warned 
of  the  danger  in  those  dismal  swamps  between  Augusta 
and  Charleston,  and  was  therefore  continually  on  my 
guard. 

Before  I  reached  Charleston,  I  passed  over  Stone 
River  into  John's  and  YVadmelaw  Islands.  There  I 
remained  some  days,  and  received  the  most  friendly 
attention  of  gentlemen  professing  religion,  living  in 
splendid  palaces,  surrounded  with  a  rich  profusion  of 
luxuries,  and  of  everything  desirable ;  these  pleasures 
were  heightened  by  free,  humble  and  pious  conversation. 
But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  glory  my  soul  sickened  at  the 
sight  of  slavery  in  more  horrid  forms  than  I  had  ever 
seen  it  before.  Poor  negroes !  Some  chained  to  their 
work,  some  wearing  iron  collars,  all  half  naked,  and  fol- 
lowed and  driven  by  the  merciless  lash  of  a  gentleman 
overseer,  distress  appeared  scowling  in  every  face.  This 
was  the  exciting  cause  of  my  abandonment  of  slavery. 
Having  preached  several  times  in  the  islands,  I  left  my 
horse  on  the  island,  and  sailed  over  to  Charleston  by 
water.  I  lodged  with  Dr.  Hollinshead,  a  gentleman  and 
preacher  of  high  standing.  In  the  city  I  met  with  my 
former  friend  and  classmate,  Samuel  Holmes.  It  was  a 
joyful  meeting.  We  visited  the  islands  and  country  round 
in  company.  I  observed  the  great  change  in  his  former 
simple  manners  and  conversation.  But  few  men  can  bear 
prosperity  and  popularity  so  as  to  retain  the  humble  spirit 
of  religion.  In  one  of  our  excursions  from  the  city  in  a 
pleasure  vessel,  a  strong  gale  fell  on  us,  and  tossed  us 
about  tremendously  on  high  waves.  The  scene  was  new 
to  me,  and  produced  very  unpleasant  feelings.  I  noticed 
the  sailors,  and  saw  in  them  no  signs  of  fear.  This 
calmed  my  fears,  and  I  remained  composed.     My  com- 


LIFE   Of    BARTON    W.   STONE  147 

panion,  Holmes,  manifested  strong'  symptoms  of  fear. 
One  of  the  sailors,  knowing  him  to  be  a  preacher,  looked 
at  him,  and  with  a  laugh  asked  him  if  he  was  afraid  to 
go  to  heaven  by  water.  I  smiled,  but  not  with  a  good 
grace. 

Having  spent  several  weeks  in  the  city  and  vicinity, 
we  started  together.  Holmes,  myself  and  two  others,  to 
the  north. 

I  arrived  in  safety  at  my  mother's  in  Virginia,  and 
found  her  still  alive  and  enjoying  health.  But  many  of 
my  relatives  -and  friends  were  gone,  some  to  the  grave 
and  some  to  distant  lands.  When  I  was  in  the  then  far 
West  I  often  sighed  at  the  remembrance  of  the  home  of 
my  youth,  and  the  former  haunts  of  my  boyish  pleasures, 
and  longed  to  revisit  them.  But  how  disappointed  was  I ! 
I  felt  more  of  a  disposition  to  weep  at  the  sight  of  these 
objects  than  to  rejoice — the  old  schoolhou^e  in  ruins  ;  the 
old  trees,  under  whose  shade  we  used  to  play,  either 
destroyed  cr  dwindling  with  age.  Those  scenes,  which 
had  long  ago  passed  away,  never — ah !  never  to  return. 
Vain  world !  After  remaining  some  weeks  with  my 
mother,  I  bade  a  sorrowful  adieu,  and  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky. 

In  the  fall  of  1798,  a  call^  from  the  united  congrega- 
tions of  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord  was  presented  me, 
through  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania.  I  accepted,  and 
a  day  not  far  ahead  was  appointed  for  my  ordination. 
Knowing  that  at  my  ordination  I  should  be  required  to 
adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith,  as  the  system  of  doctrines 
taught  in  t1le  Bible,  I  determined  to  give  it  a  careful 
examination  once  more.  This  was  to  me  almost  the 
beginning  of  sorrows.  I  stumbled  at  the  doctrine  of 
Trinity  as  taught  in  the  Confession;  I  labored  to  believe 
it,  but  could  not  conscientiously  subscribe  to  1L.     Doubts 


i48  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

too,  arose  in  my  mind  on  the  doctrines  of  election,  repro- 
bation and  predestination,  as  there  taught.  I  had  before 
this  time  learned  from  my  superiors  the  way  of  divesting 
those  doctrines  of  their  hard,  repulsive  features,  and 
admitted  them  as  true,  yet  unfathomable  mysteries. 
Viewing  them  as  such,  I  let  them  alone  in  my  public 
discourses,  and  confined  myself  to  the  practical  part  of 
religion,  and  to  subjects  within  my  depth.  But  in  re- 
examining these  doctrines  I  found  the  covering  put  over 
them  could  not  hide  them  from  a  discerning  eye  with 
close  inspection.  Indeed,  I  saw  they  were  necessary  to 
the  system  without  any  covering. 

In  this  state  of  mind  the  day  appointed  for  my  ordi- 
nation found  me.  I  had  determined  to  tell  the  presbytery 
honestly  the  state  of  my  mind,  and  to  request  them  to 
defer  my  ordination  until  I  should  be  better  informed 
and  settled  The  presbytery  came  together,  and  a  large 
congregation  attended.  Before  its  constitution,  I  took 
aside  the  two  pillars  of  it.  Dr.  James  Blythe  and  Robert 
Marshall,  and  made  known  to  them  my  difficulties,  and 
that  I  had  determined  to  decline  ordination  at  that  time* 
They  labored,  but  in  vain,  to  remove  my  difficulties  and 
objections.  They  asked  me  how  far  I  was  willing  to 
receive  the  Confession.  I  told  them  as  far  as  I  saw  it 
consistent  with  the  word  of  God.  They  concluded  that 
was  sufficient.  I  went  into  presbytery,  and  when  the* 
question  was  proposed.  "Do  you  receive  and  adopt  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  as  containing  the  system  of  doctrine 
taught  in  the  Bible  ?"  I  answered  aloud,  so  that  the  whole 
congregation  might  hear,  "I  do.  as  far  as  I  see  it  consist- 
ent with  the  word  of  God."  Xo  objection  being  made,  I 
was  ordained. 


LIFE    OF    BAR  FOX    W.   STONE  149 


CHAPTER    V. 

His  mind  is  greatly  agitated  by  Calvinistic  speculations — He 
re-examines  the  Scriptures,  and  cordially  abandons  Calvinism 
— Hears  of  a  great  religious  excitement  in  Logan  County, 
Kentucky,  in  the  spring  of  1801,  and  hastens  to  attend  a 
camp-meeting  in  that  county — Is  astonished  at  the  wonderful 
religious  exercises — Multitudes  confess  the  Saviour — Returns 
from  Logan  tilled  with  religious  zeal — Under  his  labors 
similar  scenes  occur  at  Cane  Ridge  and  Concord — Great  ex- 
citement and  religious  interest  pervade  the  community — Mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Campbell,  July,  1801—  Great  Cane  Ridge 
meeting — Description  of. 

About  this  time  my  mind  was  continually  tossed  on 
the  waves  of  speculative  divinity,  the  all-engrossing 
theme  of  the  religious  community  at  that  period.  Clash- 
ing, controversial  opinions  were  urged  by  the  different 
sects  with  much  zeal  and  bad  feeling.  Xo  surer  sign  of 
the  low  state  of  true  religion.  I  at  that  time  believed, 
and  taught,  that  mankind  were  so  totally  depraved  that 
they  could  do  nothing  acceptable  to  God,  till  his  Spirit, 
by  some  physical,  almighty  and  mysterious  power,  had 
quickened,  enlightened  and  regenerated  the  heart,  and 
thus  prepared  the  sinner  to  believe  in  Jesus  for  salvation. 
I  began  plainly  to  see  that  if  God  did  not  perform  this 
regenerating  work  in  all,  it  must  be  because  he  chose  to 
do  it  for  some  and  not  for  others,  and  that  this  depended 
on  his  own  sovereign  will  and  pleasure.  It  then  required 
no  depth  of  intellect  to  see  that  this  doctrine  is  insep- 
arably linked  with  unconditional  election  and  reprobation, 
as  taught  in  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith.  They 
are  virtually  one ;  and  this  was  the  reason  why  I  admitted 


150  THE    CAXE    RJDCR    MEETING-HOUSE 

the  decrees  of  election  and  reprobation,  having  admitted 
the  doctrine  of  total  depravity.     They  are  inseparable. 

Scores  of  objections  would  continually  roll  across  my 
mind  against  this  system.  These  I  imputed  to  the  blas- 
phemous suggestions  of  Satan,  and  labored  to  repel  :hem 
as  Satanic  temptations,  and  not  honestly  to  meet  them 
with  Scriptural  arguments.  Often  when  I  was  address- 
ing the  listening  multitudes  on  the  doctrine  of  total  de- 
pravity, their  inability  to  believe,  and  of  the  necessity  of 
the  physical  power  of  God  to  produce  faith,  and  then 
persuading  the  helpless  to  repent  and  believe  the  gospel, 
my  zeal  in  a  moment  would  be  chilled  at  the  contradic- 
tion. How  can  they  believe?  How  can  they  repent? 
How  can  they  do  impossibilities  ?  How  can  they  be  guilty 
in  not  doing  them  ?  Such  thoughts  would  almost  stifle 
utterance  and  were  as  mountains  pressing  me  down  to 
the  shades  of  death.  I  tried  to  rest  in  the  common  salvo 
of  that  day ;  i.  c,  the  distinction  between  natural  and 
moral  ability  and  inability.  The  pulpits  were  continually 
ringing  with  this  doctrine,  but  to  my  mind  it  ceased  to  be 
a  relief ;  for,  by  whatever  name  it  be  called,  that  inability 
was  in  the  sinner,  and  therefore  he  could  not  believe  nor 
repent,  but  must  be  damned.  Wearied  with  the  works 
and  doctrines  of  men,  and  distrustful  of  their  influence, 
I  made  the  Bible  my  constant  companion.  I  honestly, 
earnestly  and  prayerfully  sought  for  the  truth,  deter- 
mined to  buy  it  at  the  sacrifice  of  everything  else. 

On  a  certain  evening,  when  engaged  in  secret  prayer 
and  reading  my  Bible,  my  mind  came  unusually  filled 
with  comfort  and  peace.  I  never  recollect  of  having 
before  experienced  such  an  ardent  love  and  tenderness 
for  all  mankind,  and  such  a  longing  desire  for  their  sal- 
vation. My  mind  was  chained  to  this  subject,  and  for 
some  days  and  nights  J  was  almost  continually  praying 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.    STONE  151 

for  the  ruined  world.  During  this  time  I  expressed  my 
feelings  to  a  pious  person,  and  rashly  remarked,  "So  great 
is  my  love  for  sinners  that,  had  I  power,  I  would  save 
them  all."  The  person  appeared  to  be  horror-stricken, 
and  remarked,  "Do  you  love  them  more  than  God  does? 
Why,  then,  does  he  not  save  them  ?  Surely  he  has 
almighty  power."  I  blushed,  was  confounded  and  silent, 
and  quickly  retired  to  the  silent  woods  for  meditation  and 
prayer.  I  asked  myself,  Does  God  love  the  world — the 
whole  world?  And  has  he  not  almighty  power  to  save? 
If  so,  all  must  be  saved,  for  who  can  resist  his  power? 
Had  I  a  friend  or  child,  whom  I  greatly  loved,  and  saw 
him  at  the  point  of  drowning,  and  utterly  unable  to  help 
himself,  and  if  I  were  perfectly  able  to  save  him,  would 
I  not  do  it  ?  Would  I  not  contradict  my  love  to  him,  my 
very  nature,  if  I  did  not  save  him?  Should  I  not  do 
wrong  in  withholding  my  power  ?  And  will  not  God  save 
all  whom  he  loves? 

These  were  to  me  puzzling  questions — I  could  not 
satisfactorily  solve  them  consistently  with  my  faith.  I 
was  firmly  convinced  that  according  to  Scripture  all  were 
not  saved ;  the  conclusion,  then,  was  irresistible,  that  God 
did  not  love  all,  and  therefore  it  followed,  of  course,  that 
the  spirit  in  me,  which  loved  all  the  world  so  vehemently, 
could  not  be  the  Spirit  of  God,  but  the  spirit  of  delusion. 
My  mind  became  involved  in  gloom,  my  trouble  rolled 
back  upon  me  with  renewed  weight,  and  all  my  joys  were 
gone.  I  prostrated  myself  before  God  in  prayer,  but  it 
was  immediately  suggested,  you  are  praying  in  unbelief, 
and  "whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin."  You  must  believe 
or  expect  no  good  from  the  hand  of  God.  But  I  can  not 
believe  ;  as  soon  could  I  make  a  world.  Then  you  must 
be  damned,  for  "he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
But  will  the  Lord  condemn  me  to  eternal  punishment  for 


152  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

not  doing  an  impossibility?  So  I  thought.  I  shudder 
while  I  write  it — blasphemy  rose  in  my  heart  against 
such  a  God,  and  my  tongue  was  tempted  to  utter  it. 
Sweat  profusely  burst  from  the  pores  of  my  body,  and 
the  fires  of  hell  gat  hold  on  me.  In  this  uncommon  state 
I  remained  for  two  or  three  days. 

From  this  state  of  perplexity  I  was  relieved  by  the 
precious  word  of  God.  From  reading  and  meditating 
upon  it,  I  became  convinced  that  God  did  love  the  whole 
world,  and  that  the  reason  why  he  did  not  save  all  was 
because  of  their  unbelief;  and  that  the  reason  why  they 
believed  not  was  not  because  God  did  not  exert  his  phys- 
ical, almighty  power  in  them  to  make  them  believe,  but 
because  they  neglected  and  received  not  his  testimony 
given  in  the  Word  concerning  his  Son.  'These  are  writ- 
ten, that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  and  -that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through 
his  name."  I  saw  that  the  requirement  to  believe  in  the 
Son  of  God  was  reasonable,  because  the  testimony  given 
was  sufficient  to  produce  faith  in  the  sinner,  and  the  invi- 
tations and  encouragement  of  the  gospel  were  sufficient, 
if  believed,  to  lead  him  to  the  Saviour,  for  the  promised 
Spirit,  salvation  and  eternal  life. 

This  glimpse  of  faith,  of  truth,  was  the  first  divine 
ray  of  light  that  ever  led  my  distressed,  perplexed  mind 
from  the  labyrinth  of  Calvinism  and  error,  in  which  I 
had  so  long  been  bewildered.  It  was  that  which  led  me 
into  rich  pastures  of  gospel  liberty.  I  now  saw  plainly 
that  it  was  not  against  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  that  I  had  been  tempted  to  blaspheme,  but 
against  the  character  of  a  God  not  revealed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures— a  character  no  rational  creature  can  love  or  honor 
— a  character  universally  detested  when  seen  even  in 
man  ;  for  what  man,  professing  great  love  for  his  clfil- 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.   STONE  153 

dren,  would  give  them  impossible  commands,  and  then 
severely  punish  them  for  not  doing  them,  and  all  this  for 
his  mere  good  pleasure?  What  man  acting  thus  would 
not  be  despised  as  a  monster,  or  demon  in  human  shape, 
and  be  hissed  from  all  respectable  society?  Shall  we 
dare  to  impute  such  a  character  to  the  God  of  the  uni- 
verse ? 

Let  me  here  speak  when  I  shall  be  lying  under  the 
clods  of  the  grave.  Calvinism  is  among  the  heaviest 
clogs  on  Christianity  in  the  world.  It  is  a  dark  mountain 
between  heaven  and  earth,  and  is  amongst  the  most  dis- 
couraging hindrances  to  sinners  from  seeking  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  engenders  bondage  and  gloominess  to 
the  saints.  Its  influence  is  felt  throughout  the  Christian 
world,  even  where  it  is  least  suspected.  Its  first  link  is 
total  depravity.  Yet  are  there  thousands  of  precious 
saints  in  this  system. 

As  might  be  expected,  many  objections  arose  in  my 
mind  against  the  doctrines  just  received  by  me,  and  these 
objections  were  multiplied  by  a  correspondent,  a  Presby- 
terian preacher,  to  whom  I  had  communicated  my  views. 
I  resolved  not  to  declare  them  publicly  till  I  could  be  able 
to  defend  them  against  successful  oppositiun.  In  a  sub- 
sequent part  of  these  memoirs  the  declaration  and  de- 
fense will  be  seen. 

Things  moved  on  quietly  in  my  congregations,  and  in 
the  country  generally.  Apathy  in  religious  societies  ap- 
peared everywhere  to  an  alarming  degree.  Not  only  the 
power  of  religion  had  disappeared,  but  also  the  very  form 
of  it  was  waning  fast  away,  and  continued  so  till  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  Having  heard  of  a 
remarkable  religious  excitement  in  the  south  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  in  Tennessee,  under  the  labors  of  James 
McGready  and  other  Presbyterian  ministers.  I  was  very 


154  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

anxious  to  be  among  them,  and  early  in  the  spring  of 
1801  went  there  to  attend  a  camp-meeting.  There,  on 
the  edge  of  a  prairie  in  Logan  County,  Kentucky,  the 
multitudes  came  together,  and  continued  a  number  of 
days  and  nights  encamped  on  the  ground,  during  which 
time  worship  was  carried  on  in  some  part  of  the  encamp- 
ment. The  scene  to  me  was  new  and  passing  strange. 
It  baffled  description.  Many,  very  many,  fell  down,  as 
men  slain  in  battle,  and  continued  for  hours  together  in 
an  apparently  breathless  and  motionless  state — sometimes 
for  a  few  moments  reviving,  and  exhibiting  symptoms  of 
life  by  a  deep  groan,  or  piercing  shriek,  or  by  a  prayer 
for  mercy  most  fervently  uttered.  After  lying  thus  for 
hours,  they  obtained  deliverance.  The  gloomy  cloud, 
which  had  covered  their  faces,  seemed  gradually  and 
visibly  to  disappear,  and  hope  in  smiles  brightened  into 
joy — they  would  rise  shouting  deliverance,  and  then 
would  address  the  surrounding  multitude  in  language 
truly  eloquent  and  impressive.  With  astonishment  did  I 
hear  men,  women  and  children  declaring  the  wonderful 
works  of  God,  and  the  glorious  mysteries  of  the  gospel. 
Their  appeals  were  solemn,  heart-penetrating,  bold  and 
free.  Under  such  addresses  many  others  would  fall  down 
into  the  same  state  from  which  the  speakers  had  just 
been  delivered. 

Two  or  three  of  my  particular  acquaintances  from  i. 
distance  were  struck  down.  I  sat  patiently  by  one  of 
them,  whom  I  knew  to  be  a  careless  sinner,  for  hours, 
and  observed  with  critical  attention  everything  that 
passed  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  I  noticed  the 
momentary  revivings  as  from  death,  the  humble  con- 
fession of  sins,  the  fervent  prayer,  and  the  ultimate  de- 
liverance ;  then  the  solemn  thanks  and  praise  to  God.  the 
affectionate  exhortation  to  companions  and  to  the  people 


LIFE    OF   BARTOX    W.    STONE  155 

around  to  repent  and  come  to  Jesus.  I  was  astonished  at 
the  knowledge  of  gospel  truth  displayed  in  the  address. 
The  effect  was  that  several  sank  down  into  the  same 
appearance  of  death.  After  attending  to  many  such 
cases,  my  conviction  was  complete  that  it  was  a  good 
work — the  work  of  God ;  nor  has  my  mind  wavered  since 
on  the  subject.  Much  did  I  then  see,  and  much  have  I 
since  seen,  that  I  considered  to  be  fanaticism;  but  this 
should  not  condemn  the  work.  The  devil  has  always 
tried  to  ape  the  works  of  God  to  bring  them  into  dis- 
repute. But  that  can  not  be  a  Satanic  work  which  brings 
men  to  humble  confession  and  forsaking  of  sin,  fervent 
praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  to  sincere  and  affectionate 
exhortations  to  sinners  to  repent  and  go  to  Jesus  the 
Saviour. 

I  am  always  hurt  to  hear  people  speak  lightly  of  this 
work.  I  always  think  they  speak  of  what  they  know 
nothing  about.  Should  everything  bearing  the  impress 
of  imperfection  be  blasphemously  rejected,  who  amongst 
us  at  this  time  could  stand?  But  more  on  this  subject 
hereafter. 

The  meeting  being  closed;  I  returned  with  ardent 
spirits  to  my  congregations.  I  reached  my  appointment 
at  Cane  Ridge  on  Lord's  Day.  Multitudes  had  collected, 
anxious  to  hear  the  religious  news  of  the  meeting  I  had 
attended  in  Logan.  I  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  gave  a 
relation  of  what  I  had  seen  and  heard  ;  then  opened  my 
Bible  and  preached  from  these  words :  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that 
believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  and  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned."  On  the  universality  of  the 
gospel,  and  faith  as  the  condition  of  salvation,  I  prin- 
cipally dwelt,  and  urged  the  sinner  to  believe  now  and  be 
saved.     I  labored  to  remove  their  pleas  and  objections, 


156  THE   CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

nor  was  it  labor  in  vain.  The  congregation  was  affected 
with  awful  solemnity,  and  many  returned  home  weeping. 
Having  left  appointments  to  preach  in  the  congregation 
within  a  few  days,  I  hurried  over  to  Concord  to  preach 
at  night. 

At  our  night  meeting  at  Concord,  two  little  girls  were 
struck  down  under  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  and  in 
every  respect  were  exercised  as  those  were  in  the  south 
of  Kentucky,  as  already  described.  Their  addresses  made 
deep  impressions  on  the  congregation.  On  the  next  day 
I  returned  to  Cane  Ridge,  and  attended  my  appointment 
at  William  Maxwell's.  I  soon  heard  of  the  good  effects 
of  the  meeting  on  the  Sunday  before  Many  were  sol- 
emnly engaged  in  seeking  salvation,  and  some  had  found 
the  Lord,  and  were  rejoicing  in  him.  Among  these  last 
was  my  particular  friend,  Nathaniel  Rogers,  a  man  of 
first  respectability  and  influence  in  the  neighborhood. 
Just  as  I  arrived  at  the  gate,  my  friend  Rogers  and  his 
lady  came  up ;  as  soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  shouted  aloud 
the  praises  of  God.  We  hurried  into  each  other's  em- 
brace, he  still  praising  the  Lord  aloud.  The  crowd  left 
the  house  and  hurried  to  this  novel  scene.  In  less  than 
twenty  minutes  scores  had  fallen  to  the  ground.  Pale- 
ness, trembling  and  anxiety  appeared  in  all ;  F.qme  at- 
tempted to  fly  from  the  scene  panic-stricken,  but  they 
either  fell  or  returned  immediately  to  the  crowd,  as 
unable  to  get  away.  In  the  midst  of  this  exercise,  an 
intelligent  deist  in  the  neighborhood  stepped  up  to  me 
and  said:  "Mr.  Stone,  I  always  thought  before  that  you 
were  an  honest  man,  but  now  I  am  convinced  you  are 
deceiving  the  people."  I  viewed  him  with  pity,  and 
mildly  spoke  a  few  words  to  him  ;  immediately  he  fell 
as  a  dead  man,  and  rose  no  more  till  he  confessed  the 
Saviour.      The   meeting   continued   on    that   spot   in   the 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.   STONE  157 

open  air  till  late  at  night,  and  many  found  peace  in  glori- 
fication of  the  Lord. 

The  effects  of  this  meeting  through  the  country  were 
like  fire  in  dry  stubble  driven  by  a  strong  wind.  All  felt 
its  influence  more  or  less.  Soon  after  we  had  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  at  Concord.  The  whole  country  appeared 
to  be  in  motion  to  the  place,  and  multitudes  of  all  de- 
nominations attended.  All  seemed  heartily  to  unite  in  the 
work  and  in  Christian  love.  Party  spirit,  abashed,  shrunk 
away.  To  give  a  true  description  of  this  meeting  can  not 
be  done  :  it  would  border  on  the  marvelous.  It  continued 
five  days  and  nights  without  ceasing.  Many,  very  many, 
will  through  eternity  remember  it  with  thanksgiving  and 

praise. 

On  the  2d  of  July,    1801,   I   was  married  to   Eliza- 
beth Campbell,  daughter  of  Col.  William  Campbell  and 
Tabitha  his  wife,  daughter  of  Gen.  William  Russell,  of 
Virginia.     My  companion  was  pious  and  much  engaged 
in  religion.    We  hurried  up  from  Muhlenberg,  where  her 
mother  lived,  to  be  in  readiness  for  a  great  meeting,  to 
commence  at  Cane  Ridge  shortly  after     This  memorable 
meeting  came  on  Thursday  or  Friday  before  the  third 
Lord's  Day  in  August.   1801.     The  roads  were  literally 
crowded  with  wagons,  carriages,  horsemen  and  footmen 
moving  to  the  solemn  camp.    The  sight  was  affecting.     It 
was  judged,  by  military  men  on  the  ground,  that  there 
were  between  twenty  and  thirty  thousand  collected.   Four 
or  five  preachers  were  frequently  speaking  at  the  same 
time,  in  different  parts  of  the  encampment,  without  con- 
fusion.    The  Methodist  and  Baptist  preachers  aided  in 
the  work,  and  all  appeared  cordially  united  in  it— of  one 
mind  and  one  soul,  and  the  salvation  of  sinners  seemed 
to  be  the  great  object  of  all.     We  all  engaged  in  singing 
the    same    songs    of    praise— all    united    in    prayer— all 


158  THE   CAXE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

preached  the  same  things — free  salvation  urged  upon  all 
by  faith  and  repentance.  A  particular  description  of  this 
meeting  would  fill  a  large  volume,  and  then  the  half 
would  not  be  told.  The  numbers  converted  will  be  known 
only  in  eternity.  Many  things  transpired  there  which 
were  so  much  like  miracles  that,  if  they  were  not,  they 
had  the  same  effect  as  miracles  on  infidels  and  unbe- 
lievers ;  for  many  of  them  by  these  were  convinced  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ,  and  bowed  in  submission  to  him. 
This  meeting  continued  six  or  seven  days  and  nights,  and 
would  have  continued  longer,  but  provisions  for  such  a 
multitude  failed  in  the  neighborhood. 

To  this  meeting  many  had  come  from  Ohio  and  other 
distant  parts,  who  returned  home  and  diffused  the  same 
spirit  in  their  neighborhoods,  and  the  same  works  fol- 
lowed. So  low  had  religion  sunk,  and  such  carelessness 
universally  had  prevailed,  that  I  have  thought  that  noth- 
ing commcn  could  have  arrested  the  attention  of  the 
world;  therefore  these  uncommon  agitations  were  s?nt 
for  this  purpose.  However,  this  was  their  effect  upon 
the  community.  As  I  have  seen  no  history  of  these  bodily 
agitations  of  that  day,  but  from  the  pens  of  enemies  or 
scorners,  and  as  I  have  been  an  eye  and  ear  witness  of 
them  from  the  beginning,  and  am  now  over  threescore 
and  ten  years  of  age,  en  the  brink  of  eternity,  into  which 
almost  all  of  the  old  witnesses  have  entered,  therefore  I 
will  endeavor  to  give  a  description  of  them  in  a  distinct 
chapter,  for  your  information, 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    U\   STONE  159 


CHAPTER    VI. 

An   account  of   the   remarkable   religious   exercises   witnessed   in 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  bodily  agitations,  cr  exercises,  attending  the  ex- 
citement in  the  beginning  of  this  centufy  were  various, 
and  called  by  various  names ;  as,  the  falling  exercise,  the 
jerks,  the  dancing  exercise,  the  barking  exercise,  th? 
laughing  and  singing  exercise,  etc.  The  falling  exercise 
was  very  common  among  all  classes,  the  saints  and  sin- 
ners of  every  age  and  of  every  grade,  from  the  philoso- 
pher to  the  clown.  The  subject  of  this  exercise  would, 
generally,  with  a  piercing  scream,  fall  like  a  log  on  the 
floor,  earth  or  mud,  and  appear  as  dead.  Of  thousands 
of  similar  cases,  I  will  mention  one.  At  a  meeting  two 
gay  young  ladies,  sisters,  were  standing  togethe  attend- 
ing to  the  exercises  and  preaching  at  die  time.  Instantly 
they  both  fell  with  a  shriek  of  distress,  and  lay  for  more 
than  an  hour  apparently  in  a  lifeless  state.  Their  mother, 
a  pious  Baptist,  was  in  great  distress,  fearing  they  would 
not  revive.  At  length  they  began  to  exhibit  symptoms  of 
life,  by  crying  fervently  for  mercy,  and  then  relapsed  into 
the  same  deathlike  state,  with  an  awful  gloom  on  their 
countenances.  After  awhile  the  gloom  on  the  face  of  one 
was  succeeded  by  a  heavenly  smile,  and  she  cried  out, 
"Precious  Jesus!"  and  rose  up  and  spoke  of  the  love  of 
God,  the  preciousness  of  Jesus,  and  of  the  glory  of  the 
gospel,  to  the  surrounding  crowd  in  language  almost 
superhuman,  and  pathetically  exhorted  all  to  repentance. 
In  a  little  while  after  the  other  sister  was  similarly  exer- 
cised.    From   that  time  they  became   remarkably  pious 


160  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

members  of  the  church,  and  were  constant  in  attendance. 

I  have  seen  very  many  pious  persons  fall  in  the  same 
way  from  a  sense  of  the  danger  of  their  unconverted 
children,  brothers  or  sisters — from  a  sense  of  the  danger 
of  their  neighbors  and  of  the  sinful  world.  I  have  heard 
them  agonizing  in  tears  and  strong  crying  for  mercy  to 
be  shown  to  sinners,  and  speaking  like  angels  to  all 
around. 

The  jerks  can  not  be  so  easily  described.  Sometimes 
the  subject  of  the  jerks  would  be  affected  in  some  one 
member  of  the  body,  and  sometimes  in  the  whole  system. 
When  the  head  alone  was  affected,  it  would  be  jerked 
backward  and  forward,  or  from  side  to  side,  so  quickly 
that  the  features  of  the  face  could  not  be  distinguished. 
When  the  whole  system  was  affected,  I  have  seen  the 
person  stand  in  one  place  and  jerk  backward  and  for- 
ward in  quick  succession,  their  head  nearly  touching  the 
floor  behind  and  before.  All  classes,  saints  and  sinners, 
the  strong  as  well  as  the  weak,  were  thus  affected.  I 
have  inquired  of  those  thus  affected.  They  could  not 
account  for  it ;  but  some  have  told  me  that  those  were 
among  the  happiest  seasons  of  their  lives.  I  have  seen 
some  wicked  persons  thus  affected,  and  all  the  time  curs- 
ing the  jerks,  while  they  were  thrown  to  the  earth  with 
violence.  Though  so  awful  to  behold,  I  do  not  remember 
that  any  one  of  the  thousands  I  have  seen  ever  sustained 
an  injury  in  body.  This  was  as  strange  as  the  exercise 
itself. 

The  dancing  exercise.  This  generally  began  with  the 
jerks,  and  was  peculiar  to  professors  of  religion.  The 
subject,  after  jerking  awhile,  began  to  dance,  and  then 
the  jerks  would  cease.  Such  dancing  was  indeed  heav- 
enly to  the  spectators  ;  there  was  nothing  in  it  like  levity, 
nor  calculated  to  excite  levity  in  the  beholders.   The  smile 


LIFE    OF    BARTOX    U'.STOXE  161 

of  heaven  shone  on  the  countenance  of  the  subject,  and 
assimilated  to  angels  appeared  the  whole  person.  Some- 
times the  motion  was  quick  and  sometimes  slow.  Thus 
they  continued  to  move  forward  and  backward  in  the 
same  track  or  alley  till  nature  seemed  exhausted,  and 
they  would  fall  prostrate  on  the  floor  or  earth,  unless 
caught  by  those  standing  by.  While  thus  exercised,  I 
have  heard  their  solemn  praises  and  prayers  ascending 
to  God. 

The  barking  exercise  (as  opposers  contemptuously 
called  it)  was  nothing  but  the  jerks.  A  person  affected 
with  the  jerks,  especially  in  his  head,  would  often  make 
a  grunt,  or  bark,  if  you  please,  from  the  suddenness  of 
the  jerk.  This  name, of  barking  seems  to  have  had  its 
origin  from  an  old  Presbyterian  preacher  of  East  Ten- 
nessee. He  had  gone  into  the  woods  for  private  devo- 
tion, and  was  seized  with  the  jerks.  Standing  near  a 
sapling,  he  caught  hold  of  it,  to  prevent  his  falling,  and 
as  his  head  jerked  back  he  uttered  a  grunt  or  kind  of 
noise  similar  to  a  bark,  his  face  being  turned  upwards. 
Some  wag  discovered  him  in  this  position,  and  reported 
that  he  found  him  barking  up  a  tree. 

The  laughing  exercise  was  frequent,  confined  solely 
with  the  religious.  It  was  a  loud,  hearty  laughter,  but 
one  sui  generis;  it  excited  laughter  in  none  else.  The 
subject  appeared  rapturously  solemn,  and  his  laughter 
excited  solemnity  in  saints  and  sinners.  It  is  truly  inde- 
scribable. 

The  running  exercise  was  nothing  more  than  that 
persons,  feeling  something  of  these  bodily  agitations, 
through  fear,  attempted  to  run  away,  and  thus  escape 
from  them  ;  but  it  commonly  happened  that  they  ran  not 
far  before  they  fell,  or  became  so  greatly  agitated  that 
they  could  proceed  no  farther.     I  knew  a  young  physi- 


162  THE    CANE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

cian  of  a  celebrated  family  who  came  some  distance  to  a 
big  meeting  to  see  the  strange  things  he  had  heard  of. 
He  and  a  young  lady  had  sportively  agreed  to  watch  over 
and  take  care  of  each  other  if  either  should  fall.  At 
length  the  physician  felt  something  very  uncommon,  and 
started  from  the  congregation  to  run  into  the  woods ;  he 
was  discovered  running  as  for  life,  but  did  not  proceed 
far  till  he  fell  down,  and  there  lay  till  he  submitted  to 
the  Lord,  and  afterwards  became  a  zealous  member  of 
the  church.     Such  cases  were  common. 

I  shall  close  this  chapter  with  the  singing  exercise. 
This  is  more  unaccountable  than  anything  else  I  ever 
saw.  The  subject  in  a  very  happy  state  of  mind  would 
sing  most  melodiously,  not  from  the  mouth  or  nose, 
but  entirely  in  the  breast,  the  sounds  issuing  thence. 
Such  music  silenced  everything  and  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  all.  It  was  most  heavenly.  None  could  ever  be 
tired  of  hearing  it.  Dr.  J.  P.  Campbell  and  myself  were 
together  at  a  meeting,  and  were  attending  to  a  pious  lady 
thus  exercised,  and  concluded  it  to  be  something  surpass- 
ing anything  we  had  known  in  nature. 

Thus  have  I  given  a  brief  account  of  the  wonderful 
things  that  appeared  in  the  crreat  excitement  in  the  be«-in- 
ning  of  this  century.  That  there  were  many  eccentricities 
and  much  fanaticism  in  this  excitement,  was  acknowl- 
edged by  its  warmest  advocates  ;  indeed,  it  would  have 
been  a  wonder  if  such  things  had  not  appeared  in  the 
circumstances  of  that  time.  Yet  the  eood  effects  were 
seen  and  acknowledged  in  every  neighborhood,  and 
among  the  different  sects  it  silenced  contention  and  pro- 
moted unity  for  awhile  :  and  these  blessed  effects  would 
have  continued  had  not  men  put  forth  their  unhallowed 
hands  to  hold  up  their  totterine  ark.  mi^takin^  it  for  the 
ark  of  God.     In  the  next  chapter  this  will  appear. 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.   STONE  163 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  from  excessive  speaking,  etc.— Attends 
a  camp-meeting  at  Paris— Meets  with  opposition— Frees  his 
slaves— Richard  McXemar.  John  Dunlavy,  John  Thompson, 
Robert  Marshall  and  himself  concur  in  religious  views— Re- 
vival checked  by  opposition— Partyism  rekindled— McXemar 
trieci— Protest  against  proceedings  of  synod  in  McNemar's 
case,  and  withdrawal  of  Richard  McXemar.  John  Dunlavy, 
John  Thompson,  Robert  Marshall  and  himself  from  juris- 
diction of  synod— They  are  suspended— Formed  themselves 
into  a  separate  presbytery,  called  Springfield  Presbytery- 
Apology  published— Abandons  Presbyterianism— Surrenders 
all  claim  to  salary— Last  Will  and  Testament  of  Springfield 
Presbytery. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  excitement  I  had  been 
employed  day  and  night  in  preaching,  singing,  visiting 
and  praying  with  the  distressed,  till  my  lungs  failed,  and 
became  "inflamed,  attended  with  a  violent  cough  and  spit- 
ting of  blood.  It  was  believed  to  be  a  dangerous  case, 
and  might  terminate  in  consumption.  My  strength  failed, 
and  I  felt  myself  fast  descending  to  the  tomb.  Viewing 
this  event  near,  and  that  I  should  soon  cease  from  my 
labors,  I  had  a  great  desire  to  attend  a  camp-meeting  at 
Paris,  a  few  miles  distant  from  Cane  Ridge.  My  physi- 
cian had  strictly  forbidden  me  to  preach  any  more  till  my 
disease  should  be  removed. 

At  this  camp-meeting  the  multitudes  assembled  in  a 
shady  grove  near  Paris,  with  their  wagons  and  pro- 
visions." Here  for  the  first  time  a  Presbyterian  preacher 
aro?e  and  opposed  the  work,  and  the  doctrine  by  which 
the  work  amongst  us  had  its  existence  and  life.  He 
labored  hard  to   Calvinize  the  people,   and  to   regulate 


164  THE    CAKE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

them  according  to  his  standard  of  propriety.  Hu  wished 
them  to  decamp  at  night,  and  to  repair  to  the  town, 
nearly  a  mile  off,  for  worship  in  a  house  that  could  not 
contain  half  the  people.  This  could  not  he  done  without 
leaving  their  tents  and  all  exposed.  The  consequence 
was  the  meeting  was  divided  and  the  work  greatly  im- 
peded. Infidels  and  formalists  triumphed  at  this  sup- 
posed victory,  and  extolled  the  preacher  to  the  skies  ;  but 
the  hearts  of  the  revivalists  were  filled  with  sorrow.  Be- 
ing in  a  feeble  state,  I  went  to  the  meeting  in  town.  A 
preacher  was  put  forward  who  had  always  been  hostile 
to  the  work,  and  seldom  mingled  with  us.  He  lengthily 
addressed  the  people  in  iceberg  style — its  influence  was 
deathly.  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to  pray  as  soon  as  he 
should  close,  and  had  so  determined  in  my  own  mind. 
He  at  length  closed,  and  I  arose  and  said,  "Let  us  pray." 
At  that  very  moment  another  preacher  of  the  same  caste 
with  the  former  rose  in  the  pulpit  to  preach  another  ser- 
mon. I  proceeded  to  pray,  feeling  a  tender  concern  for 
the  salvation  of  my  fellow-creatures,  and  expecting 
shortly  to  appear  before  my  Judge.  The  people  became 
very  much  affected,  and  the  house  was  filled  with  the 
cries  of  distress.  Some  of  the  preachers  jumped  out  of  a 
window  back  of  the  pulpit,  and  left  us.  Forgetting  my 
weakness,  I  pushed  through  the  crowd  from  one  to  an- 
other in  distress,  pointed  them  the  way  of  salvation,  and 
administered  to  them  the  comforts  of  the  gospel.  My 
good  physician  was  there,  came  to  me  in  the  crowd,  and 
found  me  literally  wet  with  sweat.  He  hurried  me  to  his 
house,  and  lectured  me  severely  on  the  impropriety  of  my 
conduct.  1  immediately  put  on  dry  clothes,  went  to  bed, 
slept  comfortably,  and  rose  next  morning  relieved  from 
the  disease  which  had  baffled  medicine  and  threatened  my 
life.     That  night's  sweat  was  my  cure,  by  the  grace  of 


LIFE    OF    BART  OX    W.    STONE  165 

God.  I  was  soon  able  to  renew  my  ministerial  labors, 
and  was  joyful  to  see  religion  progressing.  This  happy 
state  of  things  continued  for  some  time,  and  seemed  to 
gather  strength  with  days.  My  mind  became  unearthly, 
and  was  solely  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  I  bad 
emancipated  my  slaves  from  a  sense  of  right,  choosing 
poverty  with  a  good  conscience,  in  preference  to  all  the 
treasures  of  the  world.  This  revival  cut  the  bonds  of 
many  poor  slaves,  and  this  argument  speaks  volumes  in 
favor  of  the  work.  For  of  what  avail  is  a  religion  of 
decency  and  order  without  righteousness? 

There  were  at  this  time  five  preachers  in  the  Presby- 
terian connection  who  were  in  the  same  strain  of  preach- 
ing, and  whose  doctrine  was  different  from  that  taught  in 
the  Confession  of  Faith  of  that  body.  Their  names  were 
Richard  McNemar,  John  Thompson,  John  Dunlavy,  Rob- 
ert Marshall  and  myself ;  the  three  former  lived  in  Ohio, 
the  two  latter  in  Kentucky.  David  Purviance  was  then  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry,  and  was  of  the  same  faith. 
The  distinguishing  doctrine,  which  we  boldly  and  every- 
where preached,  is  contained  in  our  apology,  printed 
shortly  after  that  time,  which  I  desire  to  be  reprinted 
with  these  memoirs  of  my  life,  affixed  to  the  same  vol- 
ume. From  some  of  the  sentiments  of  this  apology  we 
afterwards  dissented,  especially  on  the  atonement,  as 
stated  in  that  book. 

The  distinguishing  doctrine  preached  by  us  was  that 
God  loved  the  world — the  whole  world — and  sent  his  Son 
to  save  them,  on  condition  that  they  believed  in  him  ;  that 
the  gospel  was  the  means  of  salvation,  but  that  this 
means  would  never  be  effectual  to  this  end  until  believed 
and  obeyed  by  us  ;  that  God  required  us  to  believe  in  his 
Son,  and  had  given  us  sufficient  evidence  in  his  Word  to 
produce   faith  in   us,  if  attended  to  by  us;  that  sinners 


166  THE    CAXE   RIDGE.    MEETING-HOUSE 

were  capable  of  understanding  and  believing  this  testi- 
mony, and  of  acting  upon  it  by  coming  to  the  Saviour 
and  obeying  him,  and  from  him  obtaining  salvation  and 
the  Holy  Spirit.  We  urged  upon  the  sinner  to  believe 
now  and  receive  salvation  ;  that  in  vain  they  looked  for 
the  Spirit  to  be  given  them  while  they  remained  in  unbe- 
lief— thev  must  believe  before  the  Spirit  or  salvation 
would  be  given  them  ;  that  God  was  as  willing  to  save 
them  now  as  he  ever  was,  or  ever  would  be ;  that  no 
previous  qualification  was  required  or  necessary  in  order 
to  believe  in  Jesus  and  come  to  him  ;  that  if  they  were 
sinners,  this  was  their  divine  warrant  to  believe  in  him 
and  to  come  to  him  for  salvation ;  that  Jesus  died  for  all, 
and  that  all  things  were  now  ready,  When  we  began 
first  to  preach  these  things,  the  people  appeared  as  just 
awakened  from  the  sleep  of  ages — they  seemed  to  see 
for  the  first  time  that  they  were  responsible  brings,  and 
that  a  refusal  to  use  the  means  appointed  was  a  damn- 
ing sin. 

The  sticklers  for  orthodoxy  amongst  us  writhed  un- 
der these  doctrines,  but,  seeing  their  mighty  effects  on 
the  people,  they  winked  at  the  supposed  errors,  and 
through  fear,  or  other  motives,  they  did  not  at  first  pub- 
licly oppose  us.  They  painfully  saw  their  Confession  of 
Faith  neglected  in  the  daily  ministration  by  the  preach- 
ers of  the  revival,  and  murmured  zi  the  neglect.  In 
truth,  that  book  had  been  gathering  dust  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  excitement,  and  would  have  been  com- 
pletely covered  from  view  had  not  its  friends  interposed 
to  prevent  it.  At  first  they  were  pleased  to  see  the  Meth- 
odists and  Baptists  so  cordially  uniting  with  us  in  wor- 
ship. vr>  doubt  hoDing  they  would  become  Presbyterians. 
But  as  sr  on  as  they  saw  these  sects  drawing  away  dis- 
ciples after  them,  they  raised  the  tocsin  of  alarm — the 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    IV.    STONE  167 

Confession  is  in  danger! — the  church  is  in  danger! — O 
Israel,  to  your  tents ! 

These  sticklers  began  to  preach  boldly  the  doctrines 
of  their  Confession,  and  used  their  most  potent  arguments 
in  their  defense.  The  gauntlet  was  now  thrown,  and  a 
fire  was  now  kindled  that  threatened  ruin  to  the  great 
excitement;  it  revived  the  dying  spirit  of  parcyism,  and 
gave  life  and  strength  to  trembling  infidels  and  lifeless 
professors.  The  sects  were  roused.  The  Methodists  and 
Baptists,  who  had  so  long  lived  in  peace  and  harmony 
with  the  Presbyterians,  and  with  one  another,  now  girded 
on  their  armor,  and  marched  into  the  deathly  field  of  con- 
troversy and  war.  These  were  times  of  distress.  The 
spirit  of  partyism  soon  expelled  the  spirit  of  love  and 
union — peace  fled  before  discord  and  strife,  and  religion 
was  stifled  and  banished  in  the  unhallowed  struggle  for 
pre-eminence.  Who  shall  be  the  greatest?  seemed  to  be 
the  spirit  of  the  contest — the  salvation  of  a  ruined  world 
was  no  longer  the  burden,  and  the  spirit  of  prayer  in 
mourning  -  took  its  flight  from  the  breasts  of  many 
preachers  and  people.  Yet  there  were  some  of  all  the 
sects  who  deplored  this  unhappy  state  of  things ;  but  their 
entreating  voice  for  peace  was  drowned  by  the  din  of 
war. 

Though  the  revival  was  checked,  it  was  not  destroyed  ; 
still  the  spirit  of  truth  lingered  in  our  assemblies,  and 
evidenced  his  presence  with  us.  One  thing  is  certain, 
that  from  that  revival  a  fountain  of  light  has  sprung  by 
which  the  eyes  of  thousands  are  opened  to  just  and 
proper  views  of  the  gospel,  and  it  promises  fair  to 
enlighten  the  world  and  bring  them  back  to  God  and  his 
institutions. 

In  this  state  of  confusion,  the  friends  of  the  Confes- 
sion were  indignant  at  us  for  preaching  doctrines  so  con- 


168  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

.radictory  to  it.  They  determined  to  arrest  our  progress 
and  put  us  down.  The  Presbytery  of  Springfield,  in 
Ohio,  first  took  McNemar  through  their  fiery  ordeal,  for 
preaching  these  anti-Calvinistic  doctrines.  From  that 
presbytery  his  case  came  before  the  Synod  of  Lexington, 
Kentucky.  That  body  appeared  generally  very  hostile  to 
our  doctrine,  and  there  was  much  spirited  altercation 
among  them.  The  other  four  of  us  well  knew  what 
would  be  our  fate  by  the  decision  on  McNemar's  case; 
for  it  was  plainly  hinted  to  us  that  we  would  not  be  for- 
gotten by  the  synod.  We  waited  anxiously  for  the  issue, 
till  we  plainly  saw  it  would  be  adverse  to  him,  and  con- 
sequently to  us  all. 

In  a  short  recess  of  Synod,  we  five  withdrew  to  a 
private  garden,  where,  after  prayer  for  direction  and  a 
free  conversation,  with  a  perfect  unanimity  we  drew  up 
a  protest  against  the  proceeding  of  synod  in  McNemar's 
case,  and  a  declaration  of  our  independence,  and  of  our 
withdrawal  from  their  jurisdiction,  but  not  from  their 
communion.  This  protest  we  immediately  presented  to 
the  synod,  through  their  moderator ;  it  was  altogether 
unexpected  by  them,  and  produced  very  unpleasant  feel- 
ings, and  a  profound  silence  for  a  few  minutes  ensued. 

We  retired  to  a  friend's  house  in  town,  whither  we 
were  quickly  followed  by  a  committee  of  synod  sent  to 
reclaim  us  to  their  standards.  We  had  with  them  a  very 
friendly  conversation,  the  result  of  which  was  that  one  of 
the  committee,  Matthew  Houston,  became  convinced  that 
the  doctrine  we  preached  was  true,  and  soon  after  united 
with  us.  Another  of  the  committee,  old  Father  David 
Rice,  of  precious  memory,  on  whose  influence  the  synod 
chiefly  depended  to  reclaim  us,  urged  one  argument 
worthy  of  record;  it  was  this — that  every  departure  from 
Calvinism    was    an    advance    to    atheism.      The    grades 


LIFE    OP    BARTON    i,  .    STOXE  169 

named  by  him  were,  from  Calvinism  to  Arminiamsm — 
from  Arminianism  to  Pelagianism — from  Pelagianism  to 
deism — from  deism  to  atheism.  This  was  his  principal 
argument,  which  could  have  no  effect  on  minds  ardent  in 
the  search  of  truth. 

The  committee  reported  to  synod  their  failure  in  re- 
claiming us,  and,  after  a  few  more  vain  attempts,  they 
proceeded  to  the  solemn  work  of  suspending  us,  because 
we  had  departed  from  the  standards  of  their  church  and 
taught  doctrines  subversive  of  them.  Committees  were 
immediately  sent  to  our  congregations  to  read  the  synod's 
bull  of  suspension,  and  to  declare  them  vacant.  However 
just  their  decision  might  be  with  respect  to  the  other 
four,  in  suspending  them  for  the  crime  of  departing  from 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  yet  all  plainly  saw  that  it  was 
improper  with  regard  to  me,  seeing  I  had  not  received 
that  book  at  my  ordination,  nor  ever  before,  more  than 
any  other  book ;  i.  e.,  as  far  as  I  saw  it  agreeable  to  the 
word  of  God.  Their  bull  was  "a  blow  in  the  air"  as 
regarded  me.  I  am  therefore  an  ordained  preacher  by 
the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  Transylvania  Presby- 
tery, and  as  I  have  not  formally  been  excluded  from  the 
communion  of  that  church,  I  can  yet  claim  it  with  just 
right.  We  insisted  that  after  we  had  orderly  protested, 
and  withdrawn,  that  the  synod  had  no  better  right  to  sus- 
pend us  than  the  Pope  of  Rome  had  to  suspend  Luther 
after  he  had  done  the  same  thing.  We  contended  if 
Luther's  suspension  was  valid,  then  the  whole  Protestant 
succession  was  out  of  order,  and  of  course  that  the  synod 
had  no  better  right  to  administer  in  the  gospel  than  we — 
that  their  act  of  suspension  was  void. 

This  act  of  synod  produced  great  commotion  and 
division  in  the  churches  :  not  onlv  were  churches  divided, 
but  families  ;  those  who  before  had  lived  in  harmony  and 


170  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

love,  were  now  set  in  hostile  array  against  each  other. 
What  scenes  of  confusion  and  distress!  Not  produced 
by  the  Bible,  but  by  human  authoritative  creeds,  sup- 
ported by  sticklers  for  orthodoxy.  My  heart  was  sick- 
ened, and  effectually  turned  against  such  creeds,  as  nui- 
sances of  religious  society,  and  the  very  bane  of  Christian 
unity. 

Immediately  after  our  separation  from  synod,  we 
constituted  ourselves  into  a  presbytery,  which  we  called 
the  Springfield  Presbytery.  We  wrote  a  letter  to  our 
congregations,  informed  them  of  what  had  transpired, 
and  promised  shortly  to  give  them  and  the  world  a  full 
account  of  our  views  of  the  gospel,  and  the  causes  of  our 
separation  from  synod.  This  book  we  soon  after  pub- 
lished, called  "The  Apology  of  Springfield  Presbytery." 
In  this  book  we  stated  our  objections  at  length  to  the 
Presbyterian  Confession  of  Faith,  and  against  all  author- 
itative confessions  and  creeds  formed  by  fallible  men. 
We  expressed  our  total  abandonment  of  all  authoritative 
creeds  but  the  Bible  alone  as  the  only  rule  of  our  faith 
and  practice.  This  book  produced  a  great  effect  in  the 
Christian  community ;  it  was  quickly  republished  by  the 
Methodists  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  except  our  remarks 
upon  creeds,  which  doubtless  did  them  some  good. 

The  presses  were  employed,  and  teemed  forth  pam- 
phlets against  us,  full  of  misrepresentation  and  invective, 
and  the  pulpits  everywhere  echoed  their  contents  These 
pamphlets  and  harangues  against  us  excited  inquiry  and 
conviction  in  the  minds  of  many,  and  greatly  conduced 
to  spread  our  views.  The  arguments  against  us  were 
clothed  with  such  bitter  words  and  hard  speeches  that 
many  serious  and  pious  persons,  disgusted  and  offended 
with  their  authors,  were  driven  from  them,  and  cleaved 
to  us. 


LIFE    OF   BART  OX    W.    STONE  171 

Soon  after  our  separation,  I  called  together  my  con- 
gregations, and  informed  them  that  I  could  no  longer 
conscientiously  preach  to  support  the  Presbyterian 
Church  ;  that  my  labors  should  henceforth  be  directed  to 
advance  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  irrespective  of  party; 
that  I  absolved  them  from  all  obligations  in  a  pecuniary 
point  of  view,  and  then  in  their  presence  tore  up  their 
salary  obligation  to  me,  in  order  to  free  their  minds  from 
all  fear  of  being  called  upon  hereafter  for  aid.  Never 
had  a  pastor  and  churches  lived  together  more  harmoni- 
ously than  we  had  for  about  six  years.  Never  had  I 
found  a  more  loving,  kind  and  orderly  people  in  any 
country,  and  never  had  I  felt  a  more  cordial  attachment 
to  any  others.  I  told  them  that  I  should  continue  to 
preach  among  them,  but  not  in  the  relation  that  had  pre- 
viously existed  between  us.  This  was  truly  a  day  of 
sorrow,  and  the  impressions  of  it  are  indelible. 

Thus  to  the  cause  of  truth  I  sacrificed  the  friendship 
of  two  large  congregations,  and  an  abundant  salary  for 
the  support  of  myself  and  family.  I  preferred  the  truth 
to  the  friendship  and  kindness  of  my  associates  in  the 
Presbyterian  ministry,  who  were  dear  to  me  and  tenderly 
united  in  the  bonds' of  love.  I  preferred  honesty  and  a 
good  conscience  to  all  these  things.  Having  now  no  sup- 
port from  the  congregations,  and  having  emancipated  my 
slaves,  I  turned  my  attention  cheerfully,  though  awk- 
wardly, to  labor  on  my  little  farm.  Though  fatigued  in 
body,  my  mind  was  happy  and  "calm  as  summer  evenings 
be."  I  relaxed  not  in  my  ministerial  labors,  preaching 
almost  every  night,  and  often  in  the  daytime,  to  the 
people  around.  I  had  no  money  to  hire  laborers,  and 
often  on  my  return  home  I  found  the  weeds  were  getting 
ahead  of  my  corn.  I  had  often  to  labor  at  night  while 
others  were  asleep,  to  redeem  my  lost  time. 


172  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

Under  the  name  of  Springfield  Presbytery  we  went 
forward  preaching  and  constituting  churches  ;  but  we  had 
not  worn  our  name  more  than  one  year  before  we  saw 
it  savored  of  a  party  spirit.  With  the  man-made  creeds 
we  threw  it  overboard,  and  took  the  name  Christian — the 
name  given  to  the  disciples  by  divine  appointment  first  at 
Antioch.  We  published  a  pamphlet  on  this  name,  written 
by  Elder  Rice  Haggard,  who  had  lately  united  with  us. 
Having  divested  ourselves  of  all  party  creeds  and  party 
names,  and  trusting  alone  in  God  and  the  word  of  his 
grace,  we  became  a  byword  and  laughing-stock  to  the 
sects  around,  all  prophesying  our  speedy  annihilation. 
Yet  from  this  period  I  date  the  commencement  of  that 
reformation  which  has  progressed  to  this  day.  Through 
much  tribulation  and  opposition  we  advanced,  and 
churches  and  preachers  were  multiplied. 

For  your  information  I  insert  the  last  will  and  testa- 
ment of  Springfield  Presbytery: 

THE   LAST   WILL  AND   TESTAMENT   OF 
SPRINGFIELD    PRESBYTERY. 

For  where  a  testament  is,  there  must  of  necessity  be 
the  death  of  the  testator  ;  for  a  testament  is  of  force  after 
men  are  dead,  otherwise  it  is  of  no  strength  at  all,  while 
the  testator  liveth.  Thou  fool,  that  which  thou  sowest  is 
not  quickened  except  it  die.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground,  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit.  Whose  voice  then  shook  the  earth  ;  but  now  he 
hath  promised,  saying.  Yet  once  more  I  shake  not  the 
earth  only,  but  also  heaven.  And  this  word,  Yet  once 
more,  signifies  the  removing  of  those  things  that  are 
shaken  as  of  things  that  are  made,  that  those  things 
which  cannot  be  shaken  may  remain. — Scripture. 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  173 

LAST    WILL  AND  TESTAMENT,   ETC. 

The  Presbytery  of  Springfield,  sitting  at  Cane  Ridge, 
in  the  county  of  Bourbon,  being,  through  a  gracious 
Providence,  in  more  than  ordinary  bodily  health,  grow- 
ing in  strength  and  size  daily,  and  in  perfect  soundness 
and  composure  of  mind;  but  knowing  that  it  is  appointed 
for  all  delegated  bodies  once  to  die,  and  considering  that 
the  life  of  every  such  body  is  very  uncertain,  do  make 
and  ordain  this  our  last  will  and  testament,  in  manner 
and  form  following,  viz. : 

Imprimis.  We  will,  that  this  body  die,  be  dissolved, 
and  sink  into  union  with  the  body  of  Christ  at  large;  for 
there  is  but  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  we  are 
called  in  one  hope  of  our  calling. 

Item.  We  will,  that  our  name  of  distinction,  with  its 
reverend  title,  be  forgotten,  that  there  be  but  one  Lord 
over  God's  heritage,  and  his  name  one. 

Item.  We  will,  that  our  power  of  making  laws  for 
the  government  of  the  church,  and  executing  them  by 
delegated  authority,  forever  cease ;  that  the  people  may 
have  free  course  to  the  Bible,  and  adopt  the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Item.  We  will,  that  candidates  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry henceforth  study  the  Holy  Scriptures  with  fervent 
prayer,  and  obtain  license  from  God  to  preach  the  simple 
gospel,  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven, 
without  any  mixture  of  philosophy,  vain  deceit,  traditions 
of  men,  or  the  rudiments  of  the  world.  And  let  none 
henceforth  take  this  honor  to  himself,  but  he  that  is 
called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron. 

Item.  We  will,  that  the  church  of  Christ  resume  her 
native  right  of  internal  government — try  her  candidates 
for    the   ministry,    as    to    their    soundness    in    the    faith, 


174  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

acquaintance  with  experimental  religion,  gravity  and  apt- 
ness to  teach  ;  and  admit  no  other  proof  of  their  authority 
but  Christ  speaking  in  them.  We  will,  that  the  church  of 
Christ  look  up  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest ;  and  that  she  resume  her  primi- 
tive right  of  trying  those  who  say  they  are  apostles,  and 
are  not. 

Item.  We  will,  that  each  particular  church,  as  a  body, 
actuated  by  the  same  spirit,  choose  her  own  preacher,  and 
support  him  by  a  freewill  offering,  without  a  written  call 
or  subscription — admit  members — remove  offences  ;  and 
never  henceforth  delegate  her  right  cf  government  to 
any  man  or  set  of  men  whatever. 

Item.  We  will,  that  the  people  henceforth  take  the 
Bible  as  the  only  sure  guide  to  heaven  ;  and  as  many  as 
are  offended  with  other  books,  which  stand  in  competition 
with  it,  may  cast  them  into  the  fire  if  they  choose  ;  for  it 
is  better  to  enter  into  life  having  one  book,  than  having 
many  to  be  cast  into  hell. 

Item.  Wre  will,  that  preachers  and  people  cultivate  a 
spirit  of  mutual  forbearance  ;  pray  more  and  dispute  less  ; 
and  while  they  behold  the  signs  of  the  times,  look  up,  and 
confidently  expect  that  redemption  draweth  nigh. 

Item.  We  will,  that  our  weak  brethren,  who  may 
have  been  wishing  to  make  the  Presbytery  of  Springfield 
their  king,  and  wot  not  what  is  now  become  of  it.  betake 
themselves  to  the  Rock  of  Ages,  and  follow  Jesus  for 
the  future. 

Item.  We  will,  that  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  examine 
every  member,  who  may  be  suspected  of  having  departed 
from  the  Confession  of  Faith, #  and  suspend  every  such 
suspected  'heretic  immediately,  in  order  that  the  oppressed 
may  go  free,  and  taste  the  sweets  of  gospel  liberty. 

Item.    We  will,  that  Ja ,  the  author  of  two  letters 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.   STONE  175 

lately  published  in  Lexington,  be  encouraged  in  his  zeal 
to  destroy  partyism.  We  will,  moreover,  that  our  past 
conduct  be  examined  into  by  all  who  may  have  correct 
information  ;  but  let  foreigners  beware  of  speaking  evil 
of  things  which  they  know  not. 

Item.     Finally  we  will,  that  all  our  sister  bodies  read 
their  Bibles  carefully,  that  they  may  see  their  fate  there 
determined,  and  prepare  for  death  before  it  is  too  late. 
Springfield  Presbytery,  ) 
June  28,  1804.         £ 
Robert  Marshall,  B.  W.  Stone, 

John  Dunlavy,  John  Thompson, 

Richard  McNemar,  David  Purviance, 

Witnesses. 
the  witnesses'  address. 

We,  the  above-named  witnesses  to  the  last  will  and 
testament  of  the  Springfield  Presbytery,  knowing  that 
there  will  be  many  conjectures  respecting  the  causes 
which  have  occasioned  the  dissolution  of  that  body,  think 
proper  to  testify  that  from  its  first  existence  it  was  knit 
together  in  love,  lived  in  peace  and  concord,  and  died  a 
voluntary  and  happy  death. 

Their  reasons  for  dissolving  that  body  were  the  fol- 
lowing : 

With  deep  concern  they  viewed  the  divisions  and 
party  spirit  among  professing  Christians,  principally 
owing  to  the  adoption  of  human  creeds  and  forms  of 
government.  While  they  were  united  under  the  name  of 
a  presbytery,  they  endeavored  to  cultivate  a  spirit  of  love 
and  unity  with  all  Christians;  but  found  it  extremely 
difficult  to  suppress  the  idea  that  they  themselves  were  a 
party  separate  from  others.  This  difficulty  increased  in 
proportion  to  their  success  in  the  ministry.     Jealousies 


1-6  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

were  excited  in  the  minds  of  other  denominations  ;  and 
a  temptation  was  laid  before  those  who  were  connected 
with  the  various  parties,  to  view  .them  in  the  same  light. 
At  their  last  meeting  they  undertook  to  prepare  for  the 
press  a  piece  entitled  "Observations  on  Church  Govern- 
ment,' '  in  which  the  world  will  see  the  beautiful  simplicity, 
of  Christian  church  government,  stripped  of  human  in- 
ventions and  lordly  traditions.  As  they  proceeded  in  the 
investigation  of  that  subject,  they  soon  found  that  there 
was  neither  precept  nor  example  in  the  New  Testament 
for  such  confederacies  as  modern  church  sessions,  pres- 
byteries, synods,  general  assemblies,  etc.  Hence  they 
concluded  that  while  they  continued  in  the  connection  in 
which  they  then  stood,  they  were  off  the  foundation  of 
the  apostles  and  prophets,  of  which  Christ  himself  is  the 
chief  corner-stone.  However  just,  therefore,  their  views 
of  church  government  might  have  been,  they  would  have 
gone  out  under  the  name  and  sanction  of  a  self-consti- 
tuted body.  Therefore,  from  a  principle  of  love  to  Chris- 
tians of  every  name,  the  precious  cause  of  Jesus,  and 
dying  sinners  who  are  kept  from  the  Lord  by  the  exist- 
ence of  sects  and  parties  in  the  church,  they  have  cheer- 
fully consented  to  retire  from  the  din  and  fury  of  con- 
flicting parties,  sink  out  of  the  view  of  fleshly  minds,  and 
die  the  death.  They  believe  their  death  will  be  great  gain 
to  the  world.  But  though  dead,  as  above,  and  stripped  of 
their  mortal  frame,  which  only  served  to  keep  them  too 
near  the  confines  of  Egyptian  bondage,  they  yet  live  and 
speak  in  the  land  of  gospel  liberty  ;  they  blow  the  trumpet 
of  jubilee,  and  willingly  devote  themselves  to  the  help  of 
the  Lord  against  the  mighty.  They  will  aid  the  brethren, 
by  their  counsel,  when  required ;  assist  in  ordaining 
elders,  or  pastors ;  seek  the  divine  blessing ;  unite  with 
all  Christians  ;  commune  together,  and  strengthen  each 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.    STOXE 


177 


ethers'  hands  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  if  it  be  His  will. 

We  design,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  continue  in  the 
exercise  of  those  functions  which  belong  to  us  as  min- 
isters of  the  gospel,  confidently  trusting  in  the  Lord  that 
he  will  be  with  us.  We  candidly  acknowledge  that  in 
some  things  we  may  err,  through  human  infirmity ;  but 
he  will  correct  our  wanderings,  and  preserve  his  church. 
Let  all  Christians  join  with  us  in  crying  to  God  day  and 
night  to  remove  the  obstacles  which  stand  in  the  way  of 
his  work,  and  give  him  no  rest  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a 
praise  in  the  earth.  We  heartily  unite  with  our  Christian 
brethren  of  every  name  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the 
display  of  his  goodness  in  the  glorious  work  he  is  carry- 
ing on  in  our  Western  country,  which  we  hope  will  ter- 
minate in  the  universal  spread  of  the  gospel  and  the  unity 
of  the  church. 

Thus  far  the  witnesses  of  the  last  will  and  testament 
of  the  Springfield  Presbytery.  Why  the  work  alluded 
to  above,  on  the  subject  of  church  government,  ne^er 
made  its  appearance,  the  writer  is  not  advised.  Per- 
haps the  Shaker  difficulty,  which  shortly  after  this  time 
arose,  was  the  cause ;  as  it  is  known  that  Dunlavy  and 
McXemar,  two  of  the  witnesses,  were  carried  away  with 
that  miserable  delusion;  and  also  that  shortly  after  their 
defection  from  the  cause,  Marshall  and  Thompson  be- 
gan to  look  beck,  and  subsequently  joined  the  Presby- 


i/8  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Atonement — Change  of  views — Baptism:  is  himself  immersed — 
Fanaticism  makes  considerable  advance — The  Shakers  come 
— Some  of  the  preachers  and  people  led  off. 

In  1804  m>r  mind  became  embarrassed  on  the  doctrine 
of  atonement.  I  had  believed  and  taught  that  Christ  died 
as  a  substitute  or  surety  in  our  stead,  and  that  he  died  to 
make  satisfaction  to  law  and  justice  for  our  sins,  in  order 
to  our  justification.  From  these  commonly  received  prin- 
ciples, it  would  seem  to  follow  that  all  must  be  saved,  and 
that  Universalism  must  be  the  true  doctrine.  If  all  were 
not  saved,  then  it  would  follow  that  Christ  did  not  die  for 
all ;  and  then  Calvinistic  election  and  reprobation  must  be 
the  true  doctrine.  I  indulged  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that 
each  of  these  two  systems  was  condemned  by  the  Scrip- 
tures. I  studied  the  system  of  Andrew  Fuller,  but  was 
obliged  to  conclude  that  it  was  only  a  subterfuge  and  a 
palliative  of  the  two  former  systems  of  Calvinism  and 
Universalism.  The  growing  intelligence  of  the  world 
must  and  will  see  it  in  this  light.  I  determined  to  divest 
myself,  as  much  as  possible,  of  all  preconceived  opinions 
on  this  subject,  and  search  the  Scriptures  daily  for  the 
truth. 

I  first  examined  the  commonly  received  doctrine,  that 
Christ  as  a  surety  or  substitute  died  to  satisfy  the  de- 
mands of  law  and  justice  against  us,  and  paid  our  debts 
of  suffering  in  our  stead,  by  which  we  are  justified.  This 
is  equally  the  doctrine  of  Calvinists  and  the  earlier  Uni- 
versalists,  differing  only  in  extent :  the  former  limiting 
the  atonement  to  the  elect,  and  the  latter,  without  limita- 
tion, extending  it  to  all  mankind.     Now  I  inquired,  What 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    ll\   STONE  i79 

are  these  debts,  paid  by  the  death  of  Christ?  I  was 
answered  by  the  one  voice  of  all,  They  are  death,  tem- 
poral, spiritual  and  eternal ;  and  that  these  were  the  de- 
mands of  the  violated  law,  and  injured  justice  of  God.  I 
then  inquired,  Did  Christ  as  a  substitute  die  a  natural  or 
temporal  death  in  our  stead?  If  so,  why  do  we  all  yet 
die?  If  the  debt  was  fully  paid  by  him  for  us,  can  it  be 
just  that  we  suffer  it  again?  Did  he  die  a  spiritual  death 
for  us?  Why,  then,  do  all,  whether  elect  or  non-elect, 
suffer  this  death?  All  are  destitute  of  spiritual  life,  are 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  have  no  desire  for  God,  nor 
delight  in  him.  Could  a  holy  law  make  such  demands? 
Could  the  holy  Jesus  pay  such?  Impossible.  I  further 
inquired,  Did  Christ  suffer  eternal  death  in  our  room  and 
stead?  Impossible;  for  he  arose  from  the  dead  the  third 
day,  and  is  now  alive  forevermore  in  heaven.  But  the 
common  idea  was  suggested  he  suffered  what  was  equiv- 
alent to  eternal  death ;  he  suffered  infinitely  in  degree,  but 
not  eternally.  This  appeared  to  me  a  mere  subterfuge, 
as  unscriptural  as  it  is  unreasonable  :  for  none  but  the 
infinite  God  could  suffer  infinitely ;  and  as  he  can  not 
suffer,  therefore  the  doctrine  is  absurd.  Besides,  eternal 
punishment  has  no  end,  and  to  eternity  the  debt  will  be 
unpaid,  and  until  this  be  done  justice  can  not  be  fully 
satisfied,  and  consequently  there  can  be  no  justification 
forever  on  this  plan. 

Again,  I  viewed  the  substitute  or  surety,  and  the  per- 
son with  whom  he  is  connected,  as  one  in  law.  If  the 
surety  pays  the  debt,  it  is  considered  as  paid  by  the 
person  for  whom  he  was  surety.  Is  this  a  justification 
by  grace  or  of  debt?  Is  it  pardon  or  forgiveness?  I  was 
overwhelmed  with  astonishment  to  see  the  foundations  of 
all  the  popular  systems  built  upon  the  sand,  and  tottering 
and  falling-  at  the  touch  of  truth.     The  justly  celebrated 


180  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

and  eloquent  Universalist  preacher,  Mr.  Bailey,  of  Ken- 
tucky, acknowledged  that  the  foundation  of  Universalism 
had  never  been  moved  or  touched  till  these  arguments 
appeared  ;  and  from  that  time  till  his  death  he  ceased  to 
teach  the  doctrine,  as  I  have  been  informed. 

Driven  from  this  foundation,  I  tried  that  of  the 
Methodists — that  Jesus  died  to  reconcile  the  Father  to 
us.  This  I  found  to  be  an  unscriptural  assertion  None 
of  the  sacred  writers  have  said  so.  They  represent  God 
an  unchangeable  being.  The  death  of  Jesus  is  never 
represented  as  having  any  effect  on  God,  or  his  law  ;  but 
on  man  the  whole  effect  of  it  passed  for  his  good.  I 
examined  another  opinion,  now  become  very  common : 
that  is,  that  Jesus  died  to  open  the  door  of  mercy  to  the 
world,  or  to  make  it  possible  for  God  to  justify  him  that 
believed  in  his  Son.  This  door  was  represented  to  be  in 
the  breast  of  God.  Justice  and  truth  had  closed  it  against 
the  egress  of  mercy  to  save  sinners.  It  was  impossible 
for  mercy  to  get  out  till  the  door  was  opened ;  and  justice 
opposed  its  being  opened  till  satisfaction  should  be  made 
to  its  demands.  These  demands,  on  inquiry,  I  found  to 
be  as  before  stated,  death  temporal,  spiritual  and  eternal. 
The  diction  is  different,  but  the  sentiments  are  the  same. 
I  saw  that  the  doctrine  evidently  was  not  true — that  the 
door  of  mercy  in  the  breast  of  God  was  not  closed;  for 
the  greatest  gifts  of  mercy,  yea,  all  the  gifts  of  mercy, 
were  vouchsafed  to  us  in  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  before  justice  could  be  satisfied  by  his  death. 
"For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  might  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  The  gift  of  Jesus  was 
before  his  death,  and  this,  according  to  the  system,  must 
be  before  the  satisfaction.  A  door  against  mercy  is  in 
our  heart,  and  it  is  closed ;  but  the  Lord  is  represented  as 


LIFE   OF   BARTON    W.   STOXE  181 

knocking  at  that  dcor,  and  pleading  for  entrance.  When 
we  open,  the  Lord  with  his  fullness  enters,  and  blesses  us. 

I  further  inquired,  Did  God  in  his  law  given  by 
Moses  admit  of  a  substitute  or  surety  to  die  in  the  room 
of  the  guilty?  I  found  that  he  did  not.  For,  according 
to  the  law,  every  soul  was  to  die  for  his  own  sins  ;  even 
a  son  should  not  die  for  the  father,  nor  the  father  for  the 
son.  The  doctrine  of  suretyship  is  wrong  in  civil  policy 
as  well  as  in  religion.  It  is  not  an  authorized  doctrine  of 
the  Bible,  though  contended  for  with  so  much  zeal  by 
system-mongers. 

My  opportunity  to  read  was  very  limited^  being  com- 
pelled to  manual  labor  daily  on  my  farm  ;  but  so  intently 
engaged  was  my  mind  on  this  and  collateral  subjects  that 
I  always  took  with  me  in  my  cornfield  my  pen  and  ink, 
and  as  thoughts  worthy  of  note  occurred  I  would  cease 
from  my  labor  and  commit  them  to  paper.  Thus  labor- 
ing till  I  had  accumulated  matter  enough  for  a  pamphlet, 
and  having  arranged  the  ideas,  I  addressed  them  in  print 
to  a  friend.  That  edition  was  soon  exhausted  and  I 
could  not  supply  the  many  calls  for  it.  This  gave  a  pre- 
text for  many  to  say  I  had  called  them  in  and  burnt 
them.  This  is  not  true.  They  were  never  called  in  by 
me,  nor  were  they  burnt  in  my  knowledge.  Against  this 
pamphlet:  Dr.  J.  P.  Campbell,  of  Kentucky,  a  Presby- 
terian preacher  of  some  notoriety,  wrote  his  "Strictures" 
■ — very  severe  in  language,  but  his  arguments  were  by  me 
considered  weak,  yet  as  good  as  his  cause  afforded  him. 
To  these  "Strictures"  I  replied  in  another  printed  pam- 
phlet, to  which  he  made  a  rejoinder,  called  the  "Vindex." 
It  was  judged  to  be  too  vindictive  to  merit  a  reply;  and 
thus  this  controversy  between  us  closed.  One  thing  I 
have  since  regretted,  that  the  Doctor  accused  me  in  his 
pamphlets  of  being  heterodox  on  the  Trinity.     My  views 


182  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

I  had  never  committed  to  paper,  and  for  years  had  been 
silent  on  that  subject  in  my  public  addresses.  We  had 
been  very  intimate,  and  I  had  disclosed  my  views  to  him 
as  to  a  brother,  not  suspecting  that  I  should  be  dragged 
before  the  public  as  I  was.  I  forgive  him.  But  his  dis- 
closure was  abroad,  and  induced  me  to  defend  myself 
and  the  doctrine  I  believed.  This  I  have  done  in  a  book 
called  "My  Address  to  the  Churches,"  and  in  my  letters 
to  James  Blythe,  D.  D.,  the  latter  designed  as  an  answer 
to  Thomas  Cleland,  D.  D.,  who  had  written  furiously 
against  me. 

The  result  of  my  inquiries  on  atonement  and  Trinity 
will  be  found  in  the  pamphlets  above  named.  I  called 
atonement,  according  to  the  true  spelling  and  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  word,  "at-one-ment."  Sin  had  separated  be- 
tween God  and  man,  before  at-one,  when  man  was  holy. 
Jesus  was  sent  to  restore  that  union,  or  to  make  the 
at-one-ment  between  God  and  man.  This  he  effects  when 
he  saves  us  from  our  sins  and  makes  us  holy.  When  this 
is  effected,  God  and  man  are  at-one,  without  any  change 
in  God,  the  whole  change  being  in  man.  This  is  effected 
through  faith  in  Jesus,  who  lived,  died,  was  buried  and 
rose  again.  But  these  things  are  fully  shown  in  the  books 
referred  to  above. 

About  this  time  the  subject  of  baptism  began  to  arrest 
the  attention  of  the  churches.  On  this  I  will  state  what 
took  place  while  I  was  a  Presbyterian  preacher.  Robert 
Marshall,  one  of  our  company,  had  then  become  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  the  Baptists'  views  on  this  subject, 
and  ceased  from  the  practice  of  pedobaptism  ;  and  it  was 
believed  he  was  on  the  eve  of  uniting  with  the  Baptists. 
Alarmed  lest  he  should  join  them.  I  wrote  him  a  lengthy 
letter  on  the  subject,  laboring  to  convince  him  of  his 
error.     In  reply,  he  wrote  me  another,  in  which  he  so 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    W.   STONE  183 

forcibly  argued  in  favor  of  believers'  immersion,  and 
against  pedobaptism,  that  my  mind  was  brought  so  com- 
pletely to  doubt  the  latter,  that  I  ceased  the  practice 
entirely.  About  this  time  the  great  excitement  com- 
menced, and  the  subject  of  baptism  was  for  awhile, 
strangely,  almost  forgotten.  But  after  a  few  years  it 
revived,  and  many  became  dissatisfied  with  their  infant 
sprinkling,  among  whom  I  was  one. 

The  brethren,  elders  and  deacons  came  together  on 
this  subject;  for  we  had  agreed  previously  with  one  an- 
other to  act  in  concert,  and  not  to  adventure  on  anything 
new  without  advice  from  one  another.  At  this  meeting 
we  took  up  the  matter  in  a  brotherly  spirit,  and  concluded 
that  every  brother  and  sister  should  act  freely  and  ac- 
cording to  their  conviction  of  right,  and  that  we  should 
cultivate  the  long-neglected  grace  of  forbearance  towards 
each  other — they  who  should  be  immersed,  should  not 
despise  those  who  were  not,  and  vice  versa.  Xow  the 
question  arose,  Who  will  baptize  us  ?  The  Baptists  would 
not,  except  we  united  with  them,  and  there  were  no  elders 
among  us  wrho  had  been  immersed.  It  was  finally  con- 
cluded among  us  that  if  we  were  authorized  to  preach, 
we  were  also  authorized  to  baptize.  The  work  then 
commenced ;  the  preachers  baptized  one  another,  and 
crowds  came  and  were  also  baptized.  My  congregations 
very  generally  submitted  to  it,  and  it  soon  obtained  gen- 
erally, and  yet  the  pulpit  was  silent  on  the  subject.  In 
Brother  Marshall's  congregation  there  were  many  who 
wished  baptism.  As  Brother  Marshall  had  not  faith  in 
the  ordinance,  I  was  called  upon  to  administer  This 
displeased  him  and  a  few  others. 

The  subject  of  baptism  now  engaged  the  attention  of 
the  people  very  generally,  and  some,  with  myself,  began 
to  conclude  that  it  was  ordained   for  the  remission  of 


i84  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

sins,  and  ought  to  be  administered  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
to  all  believing  penitents.  I  remember  once  about  this 
time  we  had  a  great  meeting  at  Concord.  Mourners 
were  invited  every  day  to  collect  before  the  stand,  in 
order  for  prayers  (this  being  the  custom  of  the  times). 
The  brethren  were  praying  daily  for  the  same  people, 
and  none  seemed  to  be  comforted.  I  was  considering  in 
my  mind  what  could  be  the  cause.  The  words  of  Peter 
at  Pentecost  rolled  through  my  mind :  "Repent  and  be 
baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  you  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  I  thought,  were  Peter 
here,  he  would  thus  address  these  mourners.  I  quickly 
arose  and  addressed  them  in  the  same  language,  and 
urged  them  to  comply.  Into  the  spirit  of  the  doctrine  I 
was  never  fully  led,  until  it  was  revived  by  Brother 
Alexander  Campbell  some  years  after. 

The  churches  and  preachers  grew  and  were  multi- 
plied ;  we  began  to  be  purled  up  at  our  prosperity.  A 
law  of  synod,  or  presbytery,  forbade  their  people  to 
associate  with  us  in  our  worship  on  pain  of  censure,  or 
exclusion  from  their  communion.  This  influenced  many 
of  them  to  join  us.  But  this  pride  of  ours  was  soon 
humbled  by  a  very  extraordinary  incident.  Three  mis- 
sionary Shakers  from  the  East  came  amongst  us — Bates, 
Mitchum  and  Young.  They  were  eminently  qualified 
for  their  mission.  Their  appearance  was  prepossessing, 
their  dress  was  plain  and  neat,  they  were  grave  and 
unassuming  at  first  in  their  manners,  very  intelligent  and 
ready  in  the  Scriptures,  and  of  great  boldness  in  their 
faith. 

They  informed  us  that  they  had  heard  of  us  in  the 
East,  and  greatly  rejoiced  in  the  work  of  God  amongst 
us  ;  that  as  far  as  we  had  gone  we  were  right,  but  we 
had  not  gone  far  enough  into  the  work  ;  that  they  were 


LIFE    OF   BARTON    IV.   STONE  185 

sent  by  their  brethren  to  teach  the  way  of  God  more 
perfectly,  by  obedience  to  which  we  should  be  led  into 
perfect  holiness.  They  seemed  to  understand  all  the 
springs  and  avenues  of  the  human  heart.  They  deliv- 
ered their  testimony,  and  labored  to  confirm  it  by  the 
Scriptures — promised  the  greatest  blessings  to  the  obedi- 
ent, but  certain  damnation  to  the  disobedient.  They 
urged  the  people  to  confess  their  sins  to  them,  especially 
the  sin  of  matrimony,  and  to  forsake  them  all  immedi- 
ately— husbands  must  forsake  their  wives,  and  wives 
their  husbands.  This  was  the  burden  of  their  testimony. 
They  said  they  could  perform  miracles,  and  related 
many  as  done  among  them.  But  we  never  could  per- 
suade them  to  try  to  work  miracles  among  us. 

Many  such  things  they  preached,  the  consequence  of 
which  was  similar  to  that  of  Simon  Magus.  Many  said 
they  were  the  great  power  of  God.  Many  confessed 
their  sins  to  them  and  forsook  the  marriage  state,  among 
whom  were  three  of  our  preachers,  Matthew  Houston, 
Richard  McNemar  and  John  Dunlavy.  Several  more  of 
our  preachers  and  pupils,  alarmed,  fled  from  us  and 
joined  the  different  sects  around  us.  The  sects  tri- 
umphed at  our  distress,  and  watched  for  our  fall,  as 
Jonah  watched  for  the  fall  of  Nineveh  under  the  shadow 
of  his  gourd.  But  a  worm  at  the  root  of  Jonah's  gourd 
killed  it,  and  deprived  him  of  its  shade  and  brought  on 
him  great  distress.  So  the  worm  of  Shakerism  was 
busy  at  the  root  of  all  the  sects,  and  brought  on  them 
great  distress;  for  multitudes  of  them,  both  preachers 
and  common  people,  also  joined  the  Shakers.  Our  re- 
proach was  rolled  away. 

Never  did  I  exert  myself  more  than  at  this  time  to 
save  the  people  from  this  vortex  of  ruin.  I  yielded  to 
no  discouragement,  but  labored  night  and  day,  far  and 


186  THE    CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

near,  among  the  churches  where  the  Shakers  went.  By 
this  means  their  influence  was  happily  checked  in  many 
places.  I  labored  so  hard  and  constantly  that  a  profuse 
spitting  of  blood  ensued.  Our  broken  ranks  were  once 
more  rallied  under  the  standard  of  heaven,  and  were 
soon  led  on  once  more  to  victory.  In  answer  to  constant 
prayer,  the  Lord  visited  us  and  comforted  us  after  this 
severe  trial.  The  cause  again  revived  and  former  scenes 
were  renewed. 

The  Shakers  now  became  our  bitter  enemies,  and 
united  with  the  sects  in  their  opposition  to  us.  They 
denied  the  literal  resurrection  of  the  body  from  the 
grave ;  they  said  the  resurrection  of  the  body  meant  the 
resurrection  of  Christ's  body,  meaning  the  church.  They, 
the  elders,  had  constant  communication  and  conversation 
with  angels  and  all  the  departed  saints.  They  looked  for 
no  other  or  better  heaven  than  that  on  earth.  Their 
worship,  if  worthy  of  the  name,  consisted  in  voluntary 
dancing  together.  They  lived  together,  and  had  all 
things  common,  entirely  under  the  direction  and  control 
of  the  elders.  They  flourished  greatly  for  some  years, 
and  built  several  superb  villages,  but  afterwrards  began 
to  dwindle  till  they  became  nearly  extinct.  John  Dun- 
lavy,  who  had  left  us  and  joined  them,  was  a  man  of  a 
penetrating  mind,  wrote  and  published  much  for  them, 
and  was  one  of  their  elders  in  high  repute  by  them.  He 
died  in  Indiana,  raving  in  desperation  for  his  folly  in 
forsaking  the  truth  for  an  old  woman's  fables.  Richard 
McNemar  was,  before  his  death,  excluded  by  the  Shakers 
from  their  society,  in  a  miserable,  penniless  condition,  as 
I  was  informed  by  good  authority.  The  reason  of  his 
exclusion  I  never  heard  particularly ;  but,  from  what 
was  heard,  it  appears  that  he  had  become  convinced  of 
his  error.     The  Shakers  had  a  revelation  given  them  to 


LIFE    OP    BARTON    IV.    STONE  187 

remove  him  from  their  village,  and  take  him  to  Lebanon, 
in  Ohio,  and  to  set  him  down  in  the  streets  and  leave 
him  there  in  his  old  age,  without  friends  or  money. 
Soon  after  he  died.  Matthew  Houston  is  yet  alive,  and 
continues  among  them. 

Their  doctrine  was  that  the  Christ  appeared  first  in 
a  male,  and  through  life  was  preparing  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, which  he  could  net  accomplish  till  his  second  ap- 
pearance  in   a   woman,   Anne   Lees,   who   was  now   the 
Christ,    and   had    full   power   to    save.      They   had   new 
revelations,  superior  to  the  Scriptures,  which  they  called 
the  old  record,  which  were  true,  but  superseded  by  the 
new.     When  they  preached  to  the  world    they   used  the 
old  record,  and  preached  a  pure  gospel,  as  a  bait  to  catch 
the  unwary  ;  but  in  the  close  of  their  discourse  they  art- 
fully introduced  their  testimony.     In  this  way  they  cap- 
tivated   hundreds    and    ensnared    them    in    ruin.      Their 
coming  was  at  a  most  inauspicious  time.     Some  of  us 
were  verging  on  fanaticism ;  some  were  so  disgusted  at 
the  spirit  of  opposition  against  us,  and  the  evils  of  divi- 
sion,  that   they   were   almost   led  to   doubt   the   truth  of 
religion  in  toto  ;  and  some  were  earnestly  breathing  after 
perfection   in    holiness,   of   which   attainment   they   were 
almost    despairing,    by    reason    of    remaining    depravity. 
The   Shakers  well  knew   how  to  accommodate  each  of 
these  classes,  and  decoy  them  into  the  trap  set  for  them. 


*  Note.— The  Shaker  difficulty  here  alluded  to  by  Father  Stone  is  repre- 
sented as  occurring  before  the  question  of  baptism  agitated  the  churches.  This 
is  a  chronological  mistake,  as  doubtless  the  Shakers  came  before  the  question  of 
baptism  was  st,rred.  Father  Purviance's  account  of  this  matter  is  accordant 
with  the  true  chronology  of  the  facts.  This,  to  be  sure,  is  a  small  matter,  com- 
paratively. 


188  THE   CAKE   RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  churches  had  scarcely  recovered  from  the  shock  of  Shaker- 
ism,  when  Marshall  and  Thompson  became  disaffected — They 
endeavor  to  introduce  a  human  creed — But  failing,  they  re- 
turn to  the  Presbyterian  Church — Their  character — B.  W. 
Stone's  only  son  dies,  1809;  his  wife,  in  May.  1810 — Her 
pious  character — Breaks  up  housekeeping — In  October,  181 1, 
was  married  to  Celia  W.  Bowen,  and  removes  to  Tennessee — 
Returns  to  Kentucky — Teaches  a  high  school  in  Lexington 
— Studies  the  Hebrew  language — Appointed  principal  of  the 
Rittenhouse  Academy  in  Georgetown — Preaches  in  George- 
town, where  he  founded  a  church  with  a  numerous  congre- 
gation— Is  persuaded  to  resign  his  station  in  the  academy, 
and  devote  his  whole  time  to  preaching — Teaches  a  private 
school  in  Georgetown — Goes  to  Meigs  County,  Ohio,  where  a 
Baptist  association  agrees  to  assume  the  name  Christian — Re- 
markable dream — Travels  in  Ohio,  preaching  to  multitudes 
and  baptizing  many. 

Soon  after  this  shock  had  passed  off  and  the  churches 
were  in  a  prosperous,  growing  condition  ( for  many  ex- 
crescences had  been  lopped  off  from  our  body),  another 
dark  cloud  was  gathering,  and  threatened  our  entire 
overthrow.  But  three  of  the  elders  now  remained  of 
those  that  left  the  Presbyterians,  and  who  had  banded 
together  to  support  the  truth — Robert  Marshall,  John 
Thompson  and  myself.  I  plainly  saw  that  the  two  for- 
mer, Marshall  and  Thompson,  were  about  to  forsake  us, 
and  to  return  to  the  house  from  whence  they  had  come, 
and  to  draw  as  many  after  them  as  they  could.  They 
began  to  speak  privately  that  the  Bible  was  too  latitudi- 
narian  for  a  creed — that  there  was  a  necessity,  at  this 
time,  to  embody  a  few  fundamental  truths,  and  to  make 
a  permanent  and  final  stand  upon  them.     One  of  these 


LIFE    OF   BART  OX    W.    STONE  189 

brethren  had  written  considerably  on  the  points  or  doc- 
trines to  be  received,  and  on  those  to  be  rejected  by  us. 
He  brought  the  written  piece  with  him  to  a  conference 
previously  appointed,  in  order  to  read  it  to  them.  It  was 
thought  better  not  to  read  it  at  that  time,  as  too  prema- 
ture, but  to  postpone  it  to  another  appointment,  which 
was  made  at  Mount  Tabor,  near  Lexington,  at  which  a 
general  attendance  was  required. 

I  made  but  little  opposition  then,  but  requested  him 
to  loan  me  the  written  piece  till  our  general  meeting  at 
Mount  Tabor,  that  I  might  in  the  interim  study  his  doc- 
trines accurately.  To  this  he  willingly  consented,  and  I 
availed  myself  of  the  permission,  and  wrote  a  particular 
reply  to  his  arguments,  which  was  the  foundation  of  my 
"Address,"  afterwards  published.  The  general  meeting 
at  Mount  Tabor  came  on,  numerously  attended.  The 
piece  written  by  Brother  Thompson  was  read  publicly, 
and  Brother  Hugh  Andrews  read  also  a  piece  of  his  own 
composition  on  the  same  side  of  the  question.  I  read 
mine  also,  and  Brother  David  Purviance,  in  the  same 
faith,  spoke  forcibly.  Marshall,  Thompson  and  Andrews 
labored  hard  to  bring  us  back  to  the  ground  from  which 
we  had  departed,  and  to  form  a  system  of  doctrines  from 
which  we  should  net  recede.  This  scheme  was  almost 
universally  opposed  by  a  large  conference  of  preachers 
and  people.  Those  brethren,  seeing  they  could  effect 
nothing,  bade  us  farewell  and  withdrew  from  us.  Soon 
afterwards,  Marshall  and  Thompson  joined  the  Presby- 
terians, receiving  their  confession  again  professedly  ex 
ammo;  and  charity  hopes  they  did  as  they  professed. 
They  became  our  most  zealous  opposers  ;  Marshall  was 
required  by  the  presbytery  to  visit  all  our  churches, 
where  he  had  formerly  preached  his  errors,  and  renounce 
them  publicly,  and  preach  to  them  the  pure  doctrine. 


igo  THE    CAKE    RIDGE    MEETIKG-HOUSE 

These  two  brothers  were  great  and  good  men.  Their 
memory  is  dear  to  me,  and  their  fellowship  I  hope  to 
enjoy  in  a  better  world.  Marshall  has  been  dead  for 
some  years.  He  never  conld  regain  his  former  stand- 
ing, nor  the  confidence  of  the  people,  after  he  left  ns. 
Thompson  yet  lives  (1843),  respected  and  a  zealous 
preacher  of  the  New  School  Presbyterians,  in  Craw- 
fordsville  Indiana.  Xot  long  since  I  had  several  very 
friendly  interviews  with  him.  Old  things  appeared  to 
be  forgotten  by  ns  both,  and  cast  off  by  brotherly,  kind 
affection.  Hugh  Andrews  joined  the  Methodists,  and 
long  since  sleeps  in  death.  Of  all  the  five  of  ns  that  left 
the  Presbyterians,  I  only  was  left,  and  they  sought  my 
life.  In  the  winter  of  1809,  my  only  son,  Barton  War- 
ren, died,  and  in  the  spring  following,  May  30,  my  dear 
companion  Eliza  triumphantly  followed.  She  was  pious, 
intelligent  and  cheerful,  truly  a  helpmeet  to  me  in  all  my 
troubles  and  difficulties.  Nothing  could  depress  her,  not 
even  sickness  nor  death  itself.  I  will  relate  an  incident 
respecting  her  of  interest  to  me,  and  maybe  to  her  chil- 
dren. When  my  mind  began  to  think  deeply  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  atonement,  I  was  entirely  absorbed  in  it,  yet 
dared  not  mention  it  to  any,  lest  it  might  involve  other 
minds  in  similar  perplexities.  She  discovered  that  some- 
thing uncommon  oppressed  me.  I  was  laboring  in  my 
field;  she  came  to  me  and  affectionately  besought  me  not 
to  conceal,  but  plainly  declare,  the  cause  of  my  oppres- 
sion. We  sat  down,  and  I  .old  her  my  thoughts  on  the 
atonement.  When  I  had  concluded,  she  sprang  up  and 
praised  God  aloud  most  fervently  for  the  truth.  From 
that  day  till  her  death  she  never  doubted  of  its  truth. 

At  her  death,  four  little  daughters  were  left  me,  the 
eldest  not  more  than  eight  years  old.  I  broke  up  house- 
keeping and  boarded  my  children  with  brethren,  devot- 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  191 

ing  my  whole  time  gratuitously  to  the  churches  scattered 
far  and  near.  My  companion  and  fellow-laborer  was 
Reuben  Dooley,  of  fervent  piety  and  engaging  address. 
Like  myself,  he  had  lately  lost  his  companion,  and  ceased 
housekeeping  and  boarded  out  his  little  children.  We 
preached  and  founded  churches  throughout  the  Western 
States  of  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Occasionally 
we  visited  our  children.  All  my  daughters  when  young 
professed  faith  in  Jesus  and  were  baptized.  The  young- 
est, Eliza,  has  long  since  triumphantly  entered  into  rest. 

October  3,  181 1,  I  was  married  to  my  present  com- 
panion, Celia  W.  Bowen,  daughter  of  Capt.  William 
Bowen  and  Mary  his  wife,  near  Nashville,  Tennessee. 
She  was  cousin  to  my  former  wife.  We  immediately 
removed  to  my  old  habitation  in  Bourbon  County,  Ken- 
tucky, and  lived  happily  there  for  one  year.  Then,  by 
advice  and  hard  persuasion,  we  were  induced  to  move  to 
Tennessee,  near  my  wife's  widowed  mother.  The  old 
mother  put  us  on  a  very  good  farm,  but  without  a  com- 
fortable house  for  our  accommodation.  I  labored  hard 
at  building  a  house  and  improving  the  farm,  till  I 
learned  that  Mother  Bowen  designed  not  to  give  me  a 
deed  to  the  farm,  and  that  the  right  of  giving  a  deed 
lay  solely  in  her.  I  could  not  blame  her  for  this,  as  the 
lands  of  my  first  wife,  by  the  laws  of  Kentucky,  be- 
longed to  her  children  at  her  death.  She  thought  it 
prudent  to  deed  the  land  on  which  we  lived,  to  her 
daughter  and  children.  I  had  before  thought  the  land 
was  left  to  my  wife  by  the  will  of  her  deceased  father. 
As  soon  as  I  heard  of  our  old  mother's  determination,  I 
concluded  to  return  to  Kentucky. 

I  communicated  this  to  my  companion,  who  approved 
of  my  course.  In  a  few  days  I  started  back  to  Kentucky, 
if  possible  to  get  back  my  old  farm  I  had  sold.     I  had 


192  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

sold  it  for  twelve  dollars  per  acre,  but  the  price  of  lands 
had  greatly  risen,  and  I  could  not  get  my  farm  again 
for  less  than  thirty  dollars  per  acre.  I  was  unable  to 
repurchase  it,  or  any  other,  at  these  prices.  While  I  was 
in  Tennessee  my  field  of  labors  in  the  Word  was  very 
much  circumscribed,  and  my  manual  labors  took  up 
much  of  my  time  in  fixing  for  living  comfortably.  Let- 
ters from  the  churches  and  brethren  in  Kentucky  were 
pouring  in  upon  me,  pressing  me  to  return  to  them. 
Finding  myself  unable  to  repurchase  my  old  farm,  I 
yielded  to  the  strong  solicitations  of  the  brethren  in  Lex- 
ington and  the  neighborhood  to  settle  amongst  them. 
They  immediately  sent  a  carriage  for  my  family  and  a 
wagon  to  move  us  up.  They  had  rented  me  a  house  in 
Lexington,  and  promised  to  supply  my  family  with  every 
necessary.  But  I  then  learned  a  lesson,  and  learned  it 
better  afterwards,  that  good  men  often  make  promises 
which  they  forget  to  perform. 

In  Lexington  I  was  compelled  to  teach  a  high  school 
for  a  support.  I  taught  the  English  grammar,  Latin, 
Greek,  and  some  of  the  sciences.  This  school  exceeded 
my  highest  anticipations.  Gentlemen  of  the  first  class 
patronized  it,  and  our  institution  became  popular  and 
respectable.  We  far  outnumbered  the  pupils  of  the  uni- 
versity. I  employed  an  assistant  well  qualified.  In  this 
time  I  had  to  visit  once  a  month  my  old  congregation  at 
Cane  Ridge,  nearly  thirty  miles  distant,  and  be  back  by 
school-hour  on  Monday  morning.  I  labored  in  my  school 
to  satisfy  my  patrons,  and  profit  my  pupils,  and  it  is 
believed  that  I  succeeded. 

While  teaching  there,  a  Prussian  doctor,  a  Jew  of 
great  learning,  came  to  Lexington,  and  proposed  to  teach 
the  Hebrew  language  in  a  short  time.  A  class  was  soon 
made  up  of  a  motley  mixture  of  preachers,  lawyers  and 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  193 

others.  He  taught  by  lectures,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
we  understood  the  language  so  as  with  ease  to  read  and 
translate  by  the  assistance  of  a  lexicon.  This  was  a 
desideratum  with  me,  and  was  of  advantage  ever  after 
in  reading  and  understanding  the  Scriptures. 

The  Rittenhouse  Academy  in  Georgetown  became 
vacant,  and  urgent  solicitations  were  made  to  me  to 
become  its  principal.  I  consented,  and  moved  there,  and 
soon  entered  upon  the  duties  of  my  appointment.  The 
number  of  students  soon  became  large,  and  many  fol- 
lowed me  from  Lexington.  At  that  time  Georgetown 
was  notorious  for  irreligion  and  wickedness.  I  began  to 
preach  to  them  that  they  should  repent  and  turn  to  the 
Lord.  My  congregation  increased,  and  became  inter- 
ested on  the  subject  of  religion.  Soon  we  constituted  a 
church  of  six  or  seven  members,  which  quickly  grew 
to  two  or  three  hundred.  I  was  every  week  baptizing, 
sometimes  thirty  at  a  time,  of  whom  were  a  number  of 
my  pupils,  some  of  whom  became  useful  preachers  after- 
wards. The  work  of  conversion  spread  a  distance  round, 
with  but  few  preachers,  and  those  not  very  efficient.  The 
harvest  was  truly  great,  but  the  laborers  were  few. 

The  churches,  without  my  knowledge,  met  together 
and  determined  that  it  was  proper  to  engage  all  my  time 
and  services  in  preaching  the  gospel ;  and  in  order  to 
release  me  from  the  academy,  they  agreed  to  pay  my 
debt,  which  I  had  contracted  for  a  small  farm  near  the 
town,  on  which  I  had  moved  my  family.  The  only  way 
I  had  to  pay  this  debt  was  by  the  profits  of  the  academy. 
They  had  also  agreed  to  supply  myself  and  family  with 
a  comfortable  support.  A  deputation  of  brethren  was 
sent  to  inform  me  what  was  done,  and  to  confer  with  me 
on  the  propriety  of  yielding  to  their  wishes,  and  to 
evangelize  steadily  among  the  churches.     I  yielded,  and 


194  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

resigned  the  charge  of  the  academy,  and  gave  up  myself 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  The  remembrance  of  these 
days,  and  of  the  great  and  good  works  which  were 
effected  by  my  humble  labors,  will  cause  many  to  shout 
the  praises  of  God  to  eternity. 

The  time  drew  near  when  my  debt  must  be  paid.  I 
became  uneasy  lest  I  might  fail,  and  named  it  to  my 
brethren.  Fair  promises  kept  up  my  spirits ;  but  at  last 
I  had  to  borrow  a  good  part  of  the  money  and  pay  the 
debt  myself.  And,  to  add  to  my  trouble,  the  money 
borrowed  was  to  be  repaid  in  specie,  which  I  had  to  buy 
with  commonwealth's  depreciated  paper,  two  for  one, 
yet  had  been  by  me  received  at  par  with  silver  and  gold. 
I  was  compelled  to  desist  from  evangelizing,  and  pro- 
posed to  teach  a  private  school  in  Georgetown  (for  the 
academy  was  supplied).  I  had  soon  as  many  pupils  as 
I  desired.  By  this  means  I  was  enabled  to  pay  the  bor- 
rowed money  and  the  interest,  and  had  something  over. 
By  such  constant  application  to  study  my  health  failed. 
I  gave  up  teaching  entirely,  and  turned  to  hard  labor  on 
my  farm,  in  order  to  support  my  family. 

I  had  an  appointment  of  long  standing  in  Meigs 
County,  Ohio,  above  the  mouth  of  Kanawha,  in  order 
to  preach  and  to  baptize  a  Presbyterian  preacher  living 
there,  whose  name  was  William  Caldwell.  The  time 
drew  near,  and  I  had  no  money  to  bear  my  expenses. 
I  was  ashamed  to  beg,  and  unable  to  obtain  it.  The 
night  before  I  started  on  my  tour  I  had  meeting  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  when  the  people  were  dismissed  a 
letter  was  slipped  into  the  hand  of  my  little  daughter  by 
some  unknown  person.  She  handed  it  to  me,  and  I 
found  a  ten-dollar  bill  enfolded,  with  these  words  only 
written,  "For  Christ's  sake."  I  was  much  affected,  and 
received  it  thankfully  as  a  gift  from  my  Lord  to  enable 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    IF.    SFOXE  195 

me  to  do  his  work.  I  was  much  encouraged,  believing 
that  the  Lord  would  prosper  my  way. 

I  arrived  safely  and  in  good  spirits  at  the  appoint- 
ment, where  Brother  Dooley,  of  Ohio,  met  me.  The 
separate  Baptists,  by  previous  appointment,  held  their 
annual  association  at  the  same  time  and  place.  We 
agreed  to  worship  together.  The  crowd  of  people  was 
great,  and  early  in  the  beginning  of  the  meeting  I  bap- 
tized Brother  Caldwell  in  the  Ohio  River.  This  circum- 
stance drew  the  cords  of  friendship  more  closely  between 
us  and  the  Baptists.  Great  was  the  excitement  produced 
by  our  united  efforts.  The  elders  and  members  of  the 
association  met  daily  in  a  house  near  the  stand,  where 
they  transacted  their  business,  while  worship  was  carried 
on  at  the  stand.  I  was  invited  and  urged  to  assist  them 
in  their  deliberations  in  the  association,  and  frequently 
requested  to  give  my  opinion  on  certain  points,  which  I 
did  to  their  acceptance  and  approbation.  They  had  a 
very  difficult  case  before  them  on  which  they  could  come 
to  no  decision.  I  was  urged  to  speak  on  it,  and  to  speak 
freely.  It  was  evidently  a  case  with  which  they  had  no 
right  to  meddle,  and  which  involved  the  system  of  church 
government.  I  spoke  freely  and  fully  on  the  point,  and 
showed  it  to  be  a  party  measure,  and  of  course  unscrip- 
tural.  I  exerted  myself  with  meekness  against  sectarian- 
ism, formularies  and  creeds,  and  labored  to  establish  the 
Scriptural  union  of  Christians  and  their  Scriptural  name. 
Till  Christians  were  united  in  spirit  on  the  Bible,  I 
showed  there  would  be  no  end  to  such  difficult  cases  as 
now  agitated  them.  Having  closed  my  speech,  I  retired 
to  the  worshiping-ground. 

The  mind  of  the  association  was  withdrawn  from 
any  further  attention  to  their  knotty  cases,  to  the  con- 
sideration of  what  I  had  said.     The  result  was  that  they 


196  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

agreed  to  cast  away  their  formularies  and  creeds,  and 
take  the  Bible  alone  for  their  rule  of  faith  and  practice — 
to  throw  away  their  name  Baptist  and  take  the  name 
Christian — and  to  bury  their  association  and  to  become 
one  with  us  in  the  great  work  of  Christian  union.  They 
then  marched  up  in  a  band  to  the  stand,'  shouting  the 
praise  of  God,  and  proclaiming  aloud  what  they  had 
done.  We  met  them,  and  embraced  each  other  with 
Christian  love,  by  which  the  union  was  cemented.  I 
think  the  number  of  elders  who  united  was  about  twelve. 
After  this  the  work  gloriously  progressed,  and  multi- 
tudes were  added  to  the  Lord. 

A  few  incidents  in  my  travels,  which  happened  be- 
fore this  time,  while  I  was  a  widower,  and  soon  after 
the  conference  at  Mount  Tabor,  where  Marshall  and 
Thompson  left  us,  I  wish  to  mention  for  the  good  of 
evangelists  hereafter.  At  that  meeting  Brother  R.  Doo- 
ley  and  myself  agreed  to  travel  in  Ohio  for  some  time. 
We  started  immediately,  and  went  to  Eaton.  We  com- 
menced operations  there  on  Saturday,  and  appointed  to 
preach  at  a  house  near  town  next  day.  After  meeting 
on  Saturday,  a  lady  (Major  Steele's  wife)  returned 
home  and  found  her  husband  just  returned  from  the 
West.  She  told  him  that  two  strange  preachers  had 
come  to  town,  and  she  had  been  to  hear  them.  Nothing 
more  was  said  on  this  subject.  In  the  night  Major  Steele 
dreamed  that  he  went  to  meeting — that  a  man  whom  he 
had  never  seen  rose  to  preach.  The  features  of  the 
preacher  were  deeply  impressed  on  his  mind,  and  the 
very  text  from  which  he  preached,  which  was,  "If  God 
spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all, 
how  shall  he  not  with  him  freely  give  us  all  things?" 
He  was  very  much  agitated  in  sleep,  and  awoke.  He 
told  his  wife  the  dream,  and  slept  again,  and  dreamed 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  197 

the  same  things.  He  could  sleep  no  more  that  night. 
Next  day  he  came  to  meeting,  and  after  the  congrega- 
tion met,  I  arose.  That  moment  Steele  recognized  the 
very  person  whom  he  had  seen  in  sleep  the  night  before. 
He  began  to  fear  greatly.  I  read  my  text,  the  very  one 
he  had  heard  read  in  sleep.  His  mind  became  so  affected 
that  he  went  out  and  tried  in  vain  to  be  composed.  He 
endeavored  to  shake  off  the  impression  by  going  with  a 
company  to  the  West  to  explore  lands,  but  all  in  vain. 
He  returned,  and  was  by  us  baptized  at  a  subsequent 
time. 

We  preached  and  baptized  daily  in  Eaton  for  many 
days.  No  house  could  contain  the  people  that  flocked  to 
hear.  We  had  to  preach  in  the  open  streets  to  the  anx- 
ious multitude.  At  night,  after  service,  the  cries  and 
prayers  of  the  distressed  in  many  houses  around  were 
truly  solemn.  Almost  the  whole  town  and  neighborhood 
were  baptized  and  added  to  the  Lord.  We  left  this  place 
and  preached  and  baptized  in  many  other  places.  We 
were  poorly  clad,  and  had  net  money  to  buy  clothes. 
Going  on  at  a  certain  time  through  the  barrens,  a  limb 
tore  Brother  Dooley's  striped  linen  pantaloons  very 
much.  He  had  no  other,  nor  had  I  another  pair  to  lend 
him.  We  consoled  ourselves  that  we  were  on  the  Lord's 
work,  and  he  would  provide.  He  tied  his  handkerchief 
over  the  rent,  and  we  went  and  preached  to  the  people. 
That  night  we  lodged  with  Brother  Samuel  Wilson, 
whose  wife  presented  Brother  Dooley  a  pair  of  home- 
spun linen  pantaloons. 

We  separated  awhile,  to  preach  to  the  frontier  set- 
tlers scattered  abroad.  One  day  as  I  was  riding  slowly 
along  a  small  track  to  an  appointment  at  night  I  was 
passing  by  a  small  hut,  when  a  woman  ran  out  and  called 
to  me.     I  stopped  my  horse.     She  told  me  she  had  heard 


ig8  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

me  preach  on  yesterday,  and  with  a  heavenly  coun- 
tenance she  thanked  God  for  it;  "for,"  said  she,  "the 
Lord  has  blessed  my  soul.  Will  you  stop  and.  baptize 
me?"  "Yes,"  said  I,  "gladly  will  I  do  it."  I  dismounted 
and  walked  into  the  cottage.  "Oh,"  said  she,  "will  you 
wait  till  I  send  for  my  sister,  a  short  distance  off?  She 
was  with  me  yesterday,  and  the  Lord  has  blessed  her, 
too.  She  wants  also  to  be  baptized."  "Oh,  yes,"  said  I, 
"I  will  gladly  wait."  She  quickly  dispatched  a  little  boy 
to  call  her  husband  from  the  field  near  the  house,  and  to 
tell  the  sister  to  come.  In  the  meantime  she  was  busy 
preparing  dinner  for  me.  It  was  no  doubt  the  best  she 
had,  but  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before.  I  never  more 
thankfully  more  happily  and  more  heartily  dined.  The 
husband  soon  came  in,  and  the  wife  beckoned  him  out 
and  informed  him  of  her  intention  of  being  baptized. 
He  obstinately  opposed  it.  In  tears  and  distress  she 
informed  me.  I  talked  mildly  with  him  of  the  impro- 
priety of  his  conduct,  and  at  length  gained  his  consent. 
Her  countenance  brightened  with  joy,  and  her  sister, 
nobilc  par.  came.  We  went  down  to  Deer  Creek,  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  house,  where  I  immersed  them. 
They  rose  from  the  water  praising  God  aloud.  A  hap- 
pier scene  I  never  witnessed.  The  husband  looked  like 
death. 

I  proceeded  to  my  appointment  at  Brother  Forgue 
Graham's  The  house  was  full  to  overflowing.  I 
preached,  and  great  was  the  effect.  After  preaching  I 
invited  such  as  wished  to  be  baptized  to  come  forward. 
A  good  number  came  forward,  among  the  first  of  whom 
was  the  husband  who  had  just  before  so  obstinately 
opposed  his  wife's  baptism.  He  had  walked  seven  miles 
to  the  night  meeting.  The  house  was  near  the  bank  of 
the   same   creek ;   the   moon   shone   brightly.      We   went 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  199 

down  to  and  into  the  water,  where  I  baptized  a  number 
of  happy  persons.  It  was  a  solemn  scene.  With  reluct- 
ance the  people  returned  home  late  at  night. 

It  was  a  very  common  thing  at  that  time  for  many  on 
the  frontiers,  men,  women  and  children,  to  walk  six  or 
seven  miles  to  a  night  meeting.  The  darkest  nights  did 
not  prevent  them,  for  as  they  came  to  meeting  they  tied 
up  bundles  of  hickory  bark  and  left  them  by  the  way  at 
convenient  distances  apart ;  on  their  return  they  lighted 
these  bundles,  which  afforded  them  a  pleasant  walk. 
Many  have  I  baptized  at  night  by  the  light  of  these 
torches. 

One  day,  after  having  preached,  I  started  alone  to 
another  appointment.  On  my  way  a  gentleman,  who 
was  returning  home  from  the  same  meeting,  c  ime  up ; 
we  rode  on  together.  I  introduced  the  subject  of  relig- 
ion, which  I  found  not  to  be  disagreeable  to  him.  though 
he  was  not  a  professor.  I  urged  him  by  many  argu- 
ments to  a  speedy  return  to  the  Lord.  His  mind,  I  saw, 
was  troubled,  and  vacillating  as  to  his  choice  of  life  or 
death.  At  length  we  came  to  a  clear,  running  stream  ; 
he  said,  "See,  here  is  water;  what  doth  hinder  me  to  be 
baptized?"  I  instantly  replied  in  Philip's  language:  "If 
thou  believest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest."  He 
said:  "I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and 
am  determined  hereafter  to  be  his  servant."  Without 
anything  more,  we  alighted,  and  I  baptized  him.  We 
rode  on  in  our  wet  clothes  till  our  ways  parted. 


200  THE   CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 


CHAPTER    X. 

A.  Campbell  appears — Visits  Kentucky — His  character  and 
views — In  1S26  Elder  Stone  commences  the  publication  of 
the  Christian  Messenger — In  1832  John  T.  Johnson  became 
associated  with  Elder  Stone  as  co-editor  of  the  Messenger — 
Continued  in  that  connection  till  B.  W.  Stone  removed  to 
Illinois — They  succeeded  in  uniting  the  churches  in  Kentucky, 
whose  members  had  been  invidiously  called  "Stonettes"  and 
"Campbellites" — In  1834  B.  W.  Stone  removes  to  Jacksonville, 
Illinois — Effects  a  union  there  between  those  called  Christians 
and  Reformers. 

Since  the  union  of  the  Baptist  Association,  as  stated 
in  the  last  chapter,  nothing  worthy  of  particular  note 
occurred  till  the  period  when  Alexander  Campbell,  of 
Virginia,  appeared,  and  caused  a  great  excitement  on  the 
subject  of  religion  in  Kentucky  and  other  States.  "Some 
said,  He  is  a  good  man  ;  but  others  said,  Nay ;  for  he 
deceiveth  the  people."  When  he  came  into  Kentucky,  I 
heard  him  often  in  public  and  in  private.  I  was  pleased 
with  his  manner  and  matter.  I  saw  no  distinctive  feature 
between  the  doctrine  he  preached  and  that  which  we  had 
preached  for  many  years,  except  on  baptism  for  remis- 
sion of  sins.  Even  this  I  had  once  received  and  taught, 
as  before  stated,  but  had  strangely  let  it  go  from  my 
mind,  till  Brother  Campbell  revived  it  afresh.  I  thought 
then  that  he  was  not  sufficiently  explicit  on  the  influences 
of  the  Spirit,  which  led  many  honest  Christians  to  think 
he  denied  them.  Had  he  been  as  explicit  then,  as  since, 
mam-  honest  souls  would  have  been  still  with  us,  and 
would  have  greatly  aided  the  good  cause.  In  a  few 
things  I  dissented  from  him,  but  was  agreed  to  disagree. 

I  will  not  say  there  are  no  faults  in  Brother  Camp- 


LIFE    OF    BARTON    W.    STONE  201 

bell ;  but  that  there  are  fewer,  perhaps,  in  him  than  any 
man  I  know  on  earth  ;  and  over  these  few  my  love  would 
throw  a  veil,  and  hide  them  from  view  forever.  I  am 
constrained,  and  ■  willingly  constrained,  to  acknowledge 
him  the  greatest  promoter  of  this  Reformation  of  any 
man  living.     The  Lord  reward  him  ! 

In  the  year  1826  I  commenced  a  periodical  called  the 
Christian  Messenger.  I  had  a  good  patronage,  and 
labored  hard  to  make  the  work  useful  and  acceptable. 
After  continuing  the  work  for  six  years,  Brother  John 
T.  Johnson  became  united  as  co-editor,  in  which  relation 
we  continued  harmoniously  for  two  years,  when  the 
editorial  connection  was  dissolved  by  my  removal  to  Illi- 
nois. The  work  I  still  continued  in  Illinois,  with  short 
intervals,  to  the  present  year,  1843. 

Just  before  Brother  Johnson  and  myself  united  as  co- 
editors  of  the  Christian  Messenger,  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, of  Virginia,  had  caused  a  great  excitement  in 
Kentucky,  as  well  as  in  other  States,  on  the  subject  of 
religion.  He  had  received  a  complete  education  in  Scot- 
land, and  became  a  preacher  in  the  straitest  sect  of 
Presbyterians.  In  early  life  he  had  immigrated  into 
America,  and;  under  conviction  that  the  immersion  of 
believers  only  was  baptism,  he  joined  the  Baptists.  Not 
contented  to  be  circumscribed  in  their  system  of  religion, 
by  close  application  to  the  Bible  he  became  convinced 
that  he  had  received  many  doctrines  unauthorized  by 
Scripture,  and  contrary  to  them,  and  therefore  relin- 
quished them  for  those  more  Scriptural.  He  boldly 
determined  to  take  the  Bible  alone  for  his  standard  of 
faith  and  practice,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  books  as 
authoritative.  He  argued  that  the  Bible  presented  suffi- 
cient evidence  of  its  truth  to  sinners,  to  enable  them  to 
believe  it,  and  sufficient  motives  to  induce  them  to  obey 


202  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

it — that  until  they  believed  and  obeyed  the  gospel,  in 
vain  they  expected  salvation,  pardon  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
— that  now  is  the  accepted  time,  and  now  is  the  day  of 
salvation. 

These  truths  we  had  proclaimed  and  reiterated 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  from  the 
press  and  from  the  pulpit,  many  years  before  A.  Camp- 
bell and  his  associates  came  upon  the  stage  as  aids  of 
the  good  cause.  Their  aid  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the 
Reformation  which  was  in  progress,  especially  among 
the  Baptists  in  Kentucky ;  and  the  doctrine  spread  and 
greatly  increased  in  the  West.  The  only  distinguishing 
doctrine  between  us  and  them  was,  that  they  preached 
baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins  to  believing  penitents. 
This  doctrine  had  not  generally  obtained  amongst  us, 
though  some  few  had  received  it,  and  practiced  accord- 
ingly. They  insisted  also  upon  weekly  communion, 
which  we  had  neglected.  It  was  believed  by  many,  and 
feared  by  us,  that  they  were  not  sufficiently  explicit  on 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit.  Many  unguarded  things 
were  spoken  and  written  by  them  on  this  subject,  calcu- 
lated to  excite  the  suspicions  and  fears  of  the  people, 
that  no  other  influence  was  needed  than  that  in  the 
written  Word  ;  therefore,  to  pray  to  God  for  help  was 
vain.  The  same  thing  had  been  objected  to  us  long 
before,  and  with  plausibility,  too ;  for  we  also  had  been 
unguarded  in  our  expressions.  In  private  conversation 
with  these  brethren  our  fears  were  removed,  for  our 
views  were  one. 

Among  others  of  the  Baptists,  who  received,  and 
zealously  advocated  the  teaching  of  A.  Campbell,  was 
John  T.  Johnson,  than  whom  there  is  not  a  better  man. 
We  lived  together  in  Georgetown,  and  labored  and  wor- 
shiped together.     We  plainly  saw  that  we  were  on  the 


LIFE    OF    BARTOX    IV.    STONE  203 

same   foundation,   in   the   same   spirit,   and  preached  the 
same  gospel.     We  agreed  to  unite  our  energies  to  effect 
a  union  between  our  different  societies.     This  was  easily 
effected    in    Kentucky;    and,    in    order    to    confirm    this 
union,  we  became  co-editors  of  the  Christian  Messenger. 
This  union,  I  have  no  doubt,  would  have  been  as  easily 
effected  in  other  States   as  in   Kentucky,   had  there  not 
been   a   few   ignorant,   headstrong  bigots   on  both   sides, 
who  were  more  influenced  to  retain  and  augment  their 
party,   than  to   save  the  world  by   uniting  according  to 
the  prayer  of  Jesus.     Some  irresponsible  zealots  among 
the  Reformers,  so  called,  would  publicly  and  zealously 
contend    against    sinners    praying,    or    that    professors 
should  pray  for  them  ;  they  spurned  the  idea  that  preach- 
ers should  pray  that  God  would  assist  them  in  declaring 
his  truth  to  the  people;  they  rejected  from  Christianity 
all  who  were  not  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and 
who  did  not  observe  the  weekly  communion,  and  many 
such  doctrines  they  preached.     The  old  Christians,  who 
were    unacquainted   with    the    preachers    of    information 
amongst   us,  would  naturally  conclude  these  to  be   the 
doctrines  of  us  all ;  and  they  rose  up  in  opposition  to  us 
all,   representing  our  religion   as   a   spiritless,   prayerless 
religion,  and  dangerous  to  the  souls  of  men.     They  ran 
to    the    opposite    extreme    in    Ohio    and    in    the    Eastern 
States.      I   blame  not  the   Christians    for  opposing   such 
doctrines;  but   I   do   blame   the  more   intelligent   among 
them,  that  they  did  not  labor  to   allay  those  prejudices 
of  the  people  by   teaching  them   the   truth,   and   not  to 
cherish  them,,  as  many  of  them  did  in  their  periodicals 
and   public   preaching.      Xor   were   they   only    blamable ; 
some  of  the  Reformers  are  equally  worthy  of  blame,  by 
rejecting  the  name  Christian,  as  a  family  name,  because 
the   old   Christians   had   taken   it   before   them.      At  this 


204  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

posterity  will  wonder,  when  they  know  that  the  sentiment 
was  published  in  one  of  our  most  popular  periodicals, 
and  by  one  in  the  highest  standing  among  us. 

It  is  not  wonderful  that  the  prejudices  of  the  old 
Christian  Church  should  be  great  against  us,  and  that 
they  should  so  unkindly  upbraid  me  especially,  and  my 
brethren  in  Kentucky,  for  uniting  with  the  Reformers. 
But  what  else  could  we  do,  the  Bible  being  our  direc- 
tory? Should  we  command  them  to  leave  the  foundation 
on  which  we  stood — the  Bible  alone — when  they  had 
come  upon  the  same?  By  what  authority  could  we  com- 
mand? Or  should  we  have  left  this  foundation  to  them 
and  have  built  another?  Or  should  we  have  remained 
and  fought  with  them  for  the  sole  possession  ?  They 
held  the  name  Christian  as  sacred  as  we  did,  they  were 
equally  averse  from  making  opinions  the  test  of  fellow- 
ship, and  equally  solicitous  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
This  union  I  view  as  the  noblest  act  of  my  life. 

In  the  fall  of  1834,  I  moved  my  family  to  Jackson- 
ville, Illinois.  Here  I  found  two  churches — a  Christian 
and  Reformers'  church.  They  worshiped  in  separate 
places.  I  refused  to  unite  with  either  until  they  united 
together,  and  labored  to  effect  it.  It  was  effected.  I 
never  suffered  myself  to  be  so  blinded  by  prejudice  in 
favor  of  or  against  any  that  I  could  not  see  their  excel- 
lencies or  defects.  I  have  seen  wrongs  in  the  Reform- 
ers, and  in  the  old  Christians,  and  in  candor  have  pro- 
tested against  them.  This  has  exposed  me  to  the  darts 
of  both  sides. 

Since  my  removal  to  Illinois,  you,  my  children,  can 
remember  all  that  transpired  worthy  of  notice.  You 
know  that  I  was  stricken  with  paralysis  in  August,  1841, 
from  which  time  I  have  remained  a  cripple,  and  must  so 
continue  till  relieved  by  the  resurrection  to  immortality. 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  207, 


SKETCH  OF  DAVID  PURVIANCE 


By  WILLIAM   ROGERS 


David  Purviance  selected  for  his  future  home  a  small 
tract  of  land  about  three  miles  south  of  Cane  Ridge 
meeting-house.  The  spot  he  selected  was  doubtless  a 
fertile  one,  but  when  contemplated  in  the  wilderness 
state  in  which  he  found  it,  the  prospect  for  living  was 
gloomy  in  the  extreme.  Covered  thickly  with  tall  trees 
of  forest  growth,  the  ash,  the  sugar-tree,  the  walnut, 
locust,  and  other  varieties  common  to  that  quarter  of  the 
country,  superadded  to  these  a  solid  brake  of  tall  cane, 
so  thick  as  to  be  almost  impervious  to  man  or  beast, 
covered  the  whole  face  of  the  surrounding  country. 

We  have  said  the  prospect  for  a  living  from  the  pic- 
ture given  was  rather  dreary  and  forbidding.  David 
Purviance  had  no  slaves  to  work  for  him,  for  from  early 
and  fixed  principles  he  was  opposed  to  the  institution  of 
slavery. 

His  fate  is  now  sealed.  He  must  either  work  hard 
or  he  must  starve.  He  cheerfully  and  like  a  Christian 
philosopher  (as  doubtless  he  was)  chose  the  former.    He 


*Note. — From  the  biography  of  David  Purviance,  edited  by  his  son,  Elder 
Levi  Purviance,  Dayton,  Ohio,  in   1848.      (Pp.    16  to  45.) 

There  is  no  man  living  better  qualified  to  give  the  following  sketch  than 
Brother  Rogers.  He  was  a  young  man  and  lived  a  close  neighbor  to  David  Pur- 
viance at  the  time  he  served  in  the  State  Legislature  of  Kentucky.  There  are 
many  aged  men  yet  living  who  will  corroborate  his  statements. 

The    subject-matter   of   this   paper   is    so    much    of    history    regained    and 
restored.      All   Kentucky   histories   are   silent   on   this   theme. — J.    R.    Rogers. 


2o8  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

went  to  work  with  his  own  hands,  he  handled  the  imple- 
ments of  husbandry,  he  cleared  off  a  spot,  and  erected  a 
cabin  for  a  habitation.  Next,  he  cleared  and  reclaimed 
from  its  wild  state  ground  sufficient  to  raise  a  supply  for 
his  family  and  flocks.  Here  in  rural  pursuits  he  passed 
several  years  in  great  contentment  and  obscurity.  He 
was  never  disposed  to  seek  an  occasion  to  make  himself 
known  at  any  stage  of  life.  That  kind  of  ambition  was 
never  an  occupant  of  the  bosom  of  the  great  and  good 
Purviance.  True,  he  was  intellectually  competent  to  any 
station,  but  it  is  equally  true  that  he  was  the  most  meek, 
unambitious  and  unpretending  of  the  race  of  man. 

But  to  our  narrative.  Air.  Purviance  lived  and 
labored  on  upon  his  few  acres,  unnoticed  and  unknown, 
until  early  in  the  year  1795  ;  during  that  year,  memorable 
in  the  history  of  his  life,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  record 
some  events  that  occurred  that  must  forever  interest  the 
friends  of  David  Purviance,  and  render  his  memory 
dear,  very  dear  indeed,  to  his  posteritv. 

Little  did  the  master  spirits  of  that  day,  who  ruled 
and  shaped  the  legislation  of  Kentucky  as  best  suited 
their  policy  and  purpose,  suspect,  as  they  beheld  this 
humble  Cane  Ridge  farmer,  in  the  garb  of  a  laborer, 
sweating  beneath  the  rays  of  a  burning  sun — little  did 
they  dream,  as  they  moved  about  in  splendor  and  beheld 
the  man  we  have  described,  that  he  was  destined  in  a 
short  time  to  arrest  them  in  their  uncheckered  career, 
and  wrest  from  their  hands  some  of  their  dearest  meas- 
ures, which,  by  their  sagacity  and  management  in  the 
halls  of  the  legislature,  had  been  brought  to  bear  injuri- 
ously and  oppressively  upon  the  country. 

One  or  two  of  the  most  obnoxious  of  the  measures  in 
question  it  will  be  necessary,  for  the  reader  of  the  pres- 
ent day,  to  have  explained.     At  the  session  of   1792  a 


£     £ 


■■■■■■11111 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  211 

law  had  been  passed  giving  original  jurisdiction  to  the 
Court  of  Appeals  in  all  cases  respecting  the  titles  of 
lands.  At  the  same  session  the  court  called  Oyer  and 
Terminer  was  also  established,  and  had  exclusive  juris- 
diction in  all  cases  where  the  penalty  of  the  offence 
extended  to  life  or  limb.  These  courts  held  their  sittings 
twice  a  year,  and  only  at  the  seat  of  government,  which 
made  it  extremely  inconvenient,  expensive,  and  indeed 
oppressive,  to  the  citizens  to  attend  them.  To  the  poor 
occupant  of  the  disputed  lands  it  was  in  many  instances 
ruinous,  while  the  felons  of  the  country  mostly  escaped 
unwhipped  of  justice;  for  it  was  rare  to  procure  the 
attendance  of  prosecutors,  witnesses,  etc.,  at  so  great  a 
distance  and  at  such  sacrifice  of  time  and  money. 

Very  few  were  interested  in  a  continuance  of  the 
laws  in  question,  except  a  band  of  eminent  lawyers,  who 
at  the  time  held  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  in  the 
courts  in  question,  and  who,  unfortunately  for  the  coun- 
try, controlled,  to  a  great  extent,  the  legislative  action  of 

the  State. 

The  people,  however,  became  restless  under  such  mis- 
rule, and,  as  early  as  the  session  of  1795,  the  original 
jurisdiction  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  said  cases,  which 
had  been  found  upon  practice  to  be  so  expensive  and 
mischievous,  was  repealed,  and  the  court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  was  abolished.  This,  however,  only  tended  to 
increase  the  excitement  on  the  part  of  the  lawyers  in 
question,  and  they  at  once  put  in  requisition  all  their 
talents  and  influence  to  revive  these  laws,  and  a  fierce 
contest  grew  up  between  the  court  party  and  the  people, 
which  was  kept  alive  for  several  years. 

When  the  election  of  1797  began  to  approach,  much 
interest  was  manifested  through  the  whole  country  upon 
this  deeply  interesting  question;  and  as  the  canvass  for 


212  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

members  to  the  Legislature  began  to  open,  great  anxiety- 
was  evinced  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  have  men  of 
the  right  stamp  brought  forward.  This  was  particularly 
the  case  in  Bourbon. 

This  county,  if  not  in  advance,  was  certainly  as  for- 
ward as  any  other  in  the  work  of  reform,  and  she  deter- 
mined to  have  suitable  individuals  for  candidates. 

Gentlemen  of  the  bar  were  most  objectionable,  as  to 
that  source  the  people  attributed  the  mischiefs  com- 
plained of;  still,  it  was  considered  by  the  more  sagacious 
that  men  capable  of  the  advocacy  of  their  cause  should 
be  brought  forward.  To  this  end,  Wm.  Garrard,  Jr.,  a 
young  lawyer  of  high  promise,  and  then  but  recently 
embarked  in  the  practice  at  Paris,  was  solicited  to  become 
a  candidate  ;  the  more  especially  as  he  was  known  to  be 
sound  in  respect  to  the  measures  complained  of.  He, 
moreover,  was  a  son  of  James  Garrard,  who  was  then 
Governor  o^  the  State.  He  consented  to  run,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  canvass. 

David  Purviance,  of  Cane  Ridge,  to  his  surprise,  was 
very  strongly  urged  by  members  of  his  county  to  become 
a  candidate.  He  at  length  agreed  to  do  so.  provided  he 
could  make  the  canvass  without  the  degrading  practice, 
then  so  prevalent  among  candidates,  of  treating  for  votes. 
His  friends,  although  they  approved  his  views  in  this 
respect,  doubted  his  success  unless  he  would  yield,  but 
this  he  firmly  refused  to  do.  Rut  he,  nevertheless,  de- 
clared himself,  and  at  once  engaged  in  the  canvass. 
There  were  now  about  a  dozen  candidates  before  the 
people,  six  only  to  be  elected,  that  being  the  number  of 
members  in  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  to  which 
P>ourbon  was  entitled.  The  election  came  off  in  April, 
1797.  David  Purviance,  William  Garrard,  Jr.,  James 
Smith,  Charles  Smith,  Robert  Wilmot  and  John  Grigg 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  213 

were  elected,  but  as  our  business  is  with  the  two  former, 
the  latter,  although  highly  worthy  men,  will  not  again 
be  referred  to. 

There  was  a  called  session  of  the  Legislature  in 
November,  which,  however,  was  continued  on  to  the 
regular  session,  and  altogether  was  the  longest  one,  it  is 
believed,  e\er  held  in  Kentucky. 

The  house  was,  at  the  commencement,  organized  by 
the  appointment  of  Edmund  Bullock  speaker,  and  in  due 
time  proceeded  to  the  regular  business  of  the  session. 
John  Breckenridge,  an  eminent  lawyer  and  statesman  of 
rare  abilities,  was  a  member  from  the  county  of  Fayette. 
For  some  days  he  seemed  tc  be  the  animating  spirit  of 
the  house  and  shaped  and  guided  its  action  as  best  suited 
'.~as  taste  and  wishes.  None  thwarted  his  plans,  none 
attacked  his  position,  or  dared  to  enter  with  him  the 
arena  of  debate.  He  held  for  the  time  an  unchecked 
reign  over  the  movements  of  the  house  ;  but  this  order  of 
things  was  now  to  be  interrupted.  At  the  proper  stage, 
as  seemed  to  Mr.  Breckinridge,  he  introduced  a  bill  to 
revive  the  criminal  court  of  Oyer  and-  Terminer,  and 
after  a  slight  speech  in  its  advocacy  obtained  leave  to 
take  it  up  on  a  given  day.  This  was  a  measure  of 
weighty  consideration,  particularly  with  the  two  young 
members  from  Bourbon,  Mr.  Purviance  and  Mr.  Gar- 
rard, who  had  been  elected  mainly  in  the  hope  of  their 
successful  opposition  to  that  measure.  Little  else  was 
talked  of  among  members  until  the  day  for  its  discussion 
arrived. 

When  that  day  had  arrived,  Mr.  Breckinridge,  true  to 
his  purpose,  rose  in  advocacy  of  this  his  favorite  meas- 
ure ;  for  it  must  be  noticed  that  at  the  time  the  court  in 
question  was  abolished  he  enjoyed  the  most  extensive 
practice  in  it,  perhaps,  cf  any  gentleman  of  the  bar  in 


214  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

Kentucky.  He  began  his  speech,  and  continued  it  in  a 
manner  so  strong,  argumentative  and  pathetic  as  greatly 
to  excite,  and  indeed  alarm,  his  opponents.  His  speech 
was  not  only  eloquent,  fervent  and  imposing,  but  very 
lengthy  ;  for  when  the  hour  for  the  evening's  adjourn- 
ment arrived,  he  gave  way,  with  leave  to  conclude  the 
next  day- 

During  his  speech,  the  opponents  of  his  bill  were  in 
hopeless  despair ;  they  were  alarmed  at  the  expected 
result.  That  night  little  was  talked  of  by  the  members 
and  numerous  spectators  but  the  wonderful  speech  of  the 
mighty  orator,-  Mr.  Breckinridge.  And  the  interesting 
inquiry  went  the  rounds  of  who  would  dare  a  reply.  A 
momentous  question  this,  not  readily  answered.  Xo 
member  was  to  be  found  who  was  willing  to  hazard  him- 
self in  so  perilous  a  battle.  Nay,  the  risk  was  too  daring, 
too  adventurous. 

That  night,  for  the  first  time,  Garrard,  in  reply  to 
Breckinridge,  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Purviance  at  his  room, 
and  his  first  salutation  was,  "Bourbon  will  look  for  a 
speech  to-morrow,  and  you,  Purviance,  must  make  it." 

"I  entirely  agree  with  you,"  responded  Purviance, 
"that  Bourbon  will  look  for  a  speech,  but  differ  entirely 
as  to  who  shall  make  it.  You,  Mr.  Garrard,  are  a  law- 
yer, and  have  been  elected  in  the  confident  expectation 
of  your  opposition,  in  a  speech,  to  the  bill  now  before  the 
house,  and  should  you  fail  to  do  so,  no  apology  will  atone 
to  your  constituents  for  the  delinquency." 

These  words  of  Purviance,  spoken  in  truth  and  much 
candor,  hung  as  a  millstone  about  the  neck  of  Garrard, 
for  he  felt  their  weight. 

During  their  interview,  each  insisted  upon  the  other 
to  make  the  speech,  but  neither  would  promise  even  to 
try.     After  Garrard  retired,  Purviance  felt  himself  to  be 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  215 

in  a  strait.  He  looked  at  consequences.  '  Should  the 
looked- for  speech  not  be  forthcoming  on  the  ensuing 
day,  the  result  would  be  disastrous,  and  what  was  of 
greater  consequence  to  the  country  by  far,  a  mischievous 
measure  would  again  be  fastened  on  the  people. 

And  what  did  Purviance  do?  Did  he  fold  his  arms 
in  idle  and  hopeless  despair?  No,  that  was  not  his  char- 
acter. What,  then,  did  he  do?  Why,  he  did,  in  this  try- 
ing exigency,  precisely  as  he  had  done  at  the  dense  forest 
and  canebrake  a  few  years  before — he  went  to  work.  He 
summoned  to  his  aid  the  resources  of  a  mind  that  rarely 
lost  anything  worthy  of  retention  ;  he  prepared  as  best 
he  could,  for  the  next  day's  battle,  provided  he  should  be 
forced  to  fight.  From  his  best  recollection  of  Air.  Breck- 
inridge's unfinished  speech  he  noted  his  outlines  of  argu- 
ment, and  that  same  night,  ere  he  sl^pt,  he  pondered  well 
a  speech  which  he  then  thought  he  might  be  compelled 
to  make. 

On  the  meeting  of  the  house  the  next  day,  Mr. 
Breckinridge  resumed  his  speech,  and  was,  from  the 
commencement  to  the  conclusion,  strong  and  imposing. 
He  set  forth  in  terms  argumentative  and  persuasive,  the 
many  reasons  he  entertained  in  favor  of  the  bill  for  the 
revival  of  the  court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer.  That  court, 
he  said,  had  been  sustained  by  the  long  usage  and 
approval  of  Virginia,  the  parent  commonwealth  from 
whence  Kentucky  had  derived  her  criminal  code,  and  it 
had  been  a  dangerous  experiment  to  abolish  it.  His  zeal, 
his  pathos  and  unsurpassed  powers  for  debate  were  now 
all  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject  now  before  him. 
Deeply  was  he  interested  in  the  success  of  the  bill,  and 
it  may  be  he  thought  the  good  of  the  country  required 
its  re-enactment.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  was  never  known 
to  be  more  able  in  debate  than  on  the  occasion  in  ques- 


216  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

tion.  Mr.  Breckinridge's  concluding  remarks,  it  is  said, 
were  in  a  high  degree  alarming  to  the  enemies  of  the 
bill. 

With  a  look  of  defiance,  and  in  tones  of  assured 
victory,  he  closed  his  two  days'  speech,  much  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  friends,  but  to  the  great  alarm  and 
discomfiture  of  his  adversaries,  for  they  were  struck 
aghast  by  the  mighty  efforts  of  the  veteran  orator. 

And  now  followed  a  scene  worthy  the  pencil  of  the 
most  exquisite  painter.  Silence  profound,  painfully  per- 
plexing, pervaded  the  whole  house  ;  looks,  eagerly  anx- 
ious and  portentous,  were  interchanged  by  the  adver- 
saries of  the  measure  under  discussion.  But  its  friends 
were  in  secret  triumph ;  still  no  word  was  uttered,  no 
reply  was  offered.  Xo  opposer  of  the  bill  rose  up  against 
it.     All  were  dismayed. 

At  length,  Mr.  Garrard  arose,  but  not  for  a  speech. 
He  passed  over  the  entire  floor  to  where  his  friend 
Purviance  was  seated,  and,  seizing  him  by  the  arm,  he 
exclaimed :  "Do  you  make  a  speech,'  Purviance,  for  I  can 
not."  He  turned  on  his  heel,  retraced  his  steps,  and  took 
his  seat. 

Purviance  now  had  no  choice  left  him  ;  he  must  make 
a  speech,  or  all  would  doubtless  be  lost.  The  array 
before  him  was  most  fearful.  It  was  enough  to  dismay 
the  most  accustomed  and  undaunted  speaker.  Xot  only 
the  members,  but  a  vast  assemblage  of  spectators,  had 
been  attracted  to  the  house  to  witness  the  speech  of  Mr. 
Breckinridge,  and  were  all  looking  with  intense  interest 
to  see  who  would  be  courageous  enough  to  dare  a  reply. 

None,  it  will  be  readily  supposed,  thought  the  plain 
and  unpretending  Purviance,  clad  in  simple  homespun, 
modestly  seated  at  his  table,  unnoticed  and  unknown,  was 
the  man  now  destined  to  this  fearful  task.     He  had  now 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  217 

become  willing  to  make  a  speech,  but  how  to  perform  it 
he  "found  not."  His  heart,  it  is  true,  was  inditing  a 
good  matter,  but,  alas!  his  tongue  was  not  "as  the  pen 
of  a  ready  writer." 

But  he  had  resolved  to  try  himself  on  this  interesting, 
and,  to  his  country,  important,  occasion ;  and  David  Pur- 
viance  was  not  the  man  to  form  a  good  resolve  and  not 
perform  it.     Now  came  the  moment  of  trial. 

By  a  mighty  effort  he  arose  and  addressed  himself  to 
the  Speaker  of  the  house.  All  eyes  were  turned  towards 
him,  some  in  pity,  all  in  astonishment.  None  had  ever 
heard  him  before  in  debate,  for  this  was  his  debut — 
his  first  speech.  Few,  indeed,  of  his  auditors  knew  until 
that  moment  that  there  lived  on  earth  such  a  man  as  they 
now  saw  before  them,  essaying  to  make  a  speech  in  reply 
to  Mr.  Breckinridge.  His  manner  and  gesture  were  ex- 
tremely awkward  and  unbecoming,  compared  with  the 
highly  accomplished  gentleman  who  had  just  preceded 
him.  Air.  Purviance  was  so  embarrassed,  so  confused 
for  a  short  time  as  to  be  much  at  a  loss  for  language 
suited  for  the  deep  thoughts  that  were  agitating  his  pro- 
found mind. 

His  friends  were  now  more  than  ever  disheartened 
and  discouraged  at  the  unpromising  prospect  before 
them.  His  young  colleague,  Mr.  Garrard,  was  in  deep 
despair ;  he  was  indeed  as  one  without  hope.  But  if  the 
opponents  of  the  bill  were  in  gloom,  its  friends  were  in 
secret  triumph,  for  they  now  looked  on  its  passage  as 
certain. 

Their  emotions  and  their  expectations  were  but  of  a 
short-lived  character,  for  very  soon  the  whole  scene  was 
changed.  Air.  Purviance  suddenly  freed  himself  from 
his  embarrassment,  and  evirced  to  that  wondering  assem- 
blage that  he  needed  not  the  decorations  of  tailors,  of 


218  THE    CAXE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

velvets  and  of  broadcloths  to  recommend  him;  that  he 
stood,  panoplied  in  the  greatness  of  his  mind,  the  un- 
daunted champion  of  right  principles.  And  now  with 
much  circumspection  he  proceeded  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  weighty  task  assigned  him.  With  great  delibera- 
tion, Mr.  Purviance  now  took  from  the  table  his  notes 
of  Mr.  Breckinridge's  speech,  and,  casting  his  eve  over 
them,  he,  as  by  inspiration,  reviewed  the  whole  ground 
of  debate,  and  intuitively  moved  forward  in  the  execution 
of  his  purpose.  His  reply  to  Mr.  Breckinridge  was  made 
in  the  same  logical  order  in  which  it  had  been  delivered 
by  that  sound  rhetorician. 

His  style  was  simple,  plain  and  clear.  His  address  so 
natural,  so  humble,  so  unassuming  as  to  captivate  and 
charm  his  whole  audience.  His  friends  had  now  the 
heart  to  begin  to  look  up,  and  as  he  advanced  he  became 
clearer  and  stronger.  He  stripped  the  arguments  of  his 
adversary  of  the  false  glare  cast  around  them  by  the  wily 
orator,  and  with  a  ponderous  hand  he  pulverized  the 
foundations  on  which  they  had  been  based.  At  this  crisis 
in  his  speech  the  friends  of  Mr.  Purviance  could  scarce 
restrain  themselves  from  outbursts  of  applause. 

As  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Garrard,  though  a  man  of  much 
gravity,  yet  such  were  the  emotions  of  his  mind  that  as 
by  magic  he  was  attracted  nearer  and  nearer  the  speaker, 
and  ere  he  closed  he  was  planted  at  the  side  of  Mr.  Pur- 
viance, animating  and  cheering  him  onward,  by  his  every 
look  and  gesture,  to  the  mighty  onslaught  upon  the  vet- 
eran debater,  Mr.  Breckinridge. 

[Note. — More  than  twenty-five  years  after  the  debate 
between  Mr.  Breckinridge  and  Mr.  Purviance,  the  latter, 
in  a  conversation  with  the  writer,  remarked  that  the 
opportune  manner  of  his  colleague,  Mr.  William  Gar- 
rard, on  that  occasion  helped  him  much.     lie  knew  him 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  219 

to  be  a  competent  judge  of  the  merits  of  the  speech  he 
was  then  essaying  to  make,  and  the  hearty  manner  in 
which  he  approbated  it,  by  his  very  look  and  gesture, 
inspired  him  with  a  confidence  that  made  his  speech 
longer  and  better,  as  he  believed,  than  otherwise  it  would 
have  been. 

Such  was  the  innate  modesty  of  Mr.  Purviance  that 
he  rarely  mentioned  his  political  performance  to  any  one, 
and  to  none  but  very  particular  friends.  Had  he  been 
more  free  in  this  respect,  his  political  history  would  have 
been  more  full.  For  it  will  be  remembered  there  were 
no  reporters  of  speeches  in  the  Kentucky  Legislature  at 
that  day,  and  the  journals  are  in  manuscript. 

T#he  writer  addressed  a  letter  to  Air.  Purviance,  some 
months  previous  to  his  death,  requesting  of  him  an 
epitome  of  his  public  life.  In  reply  to  that  request,  he 
gave  some  encouragement  to  hope  for  such  a  document. 
But  it  is  quite  probable  he  suspected  it  might  be  used  in 
commendation  of  himself,  and  therefore  declaimed  pre- 
paring it ;  at  any  rate,  be  that  as  it  may,  none  was  fur- 
nished :  and  his  oldest  son,  L.  Purviance,  who  has  the 
care  of  his  papers,  informs  the  writer  no  paper  of  that 
character  is  found  by  him  among  the  writings  of  his 
decease  father.] 

Mr.  Purviance  now  closed  this  his  first,  speech, 
which  he  had  delivered  with  a  clearness,  a  fairness 
rarely  witnessed.  His  skill,  his  logic  and  astuteness 
in  debate  had  been  so  striking,  so  strong  and  perspica- 
cious as  to  astonish  to  admiration  the  whole  audience. 
What  was  still  better  and  of  greater  consequence  to  the 
commonwealth,  it  fixed  a  conviction  on  the  minds  of  the 
members  of  the  house  not  to  be  shaken.  Nay,  more,  Mr. 
Breckinridge  himself  was  wholly  disappointed,  and  in- 
deed greatly  astonished,  to  find  Mr    Purviance  so  thor- 


220  THE    CAKE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

oughly  informed  on  a  subject  which  he  had  supposed  him 
to  be  entirely  ignorant  of. 

Mr.  Purviance  took  his  seat,  amid  the  plaudits  and 
the  heart-cheering  congratulations  of  his  friends. 

Mr.  Breckinridge  again  arose,  and,  we  regret  to  re- 
cord, was  guilty  of  an  indecorum  unworthy  his  great 
fame.  He  could  not  conceal  the  chagrin  he  felt  from  the 
sound  drubbing  he  had  gotten  from  the  hands  of  the 
young  plebeian  ;  it  was  more  than  he  could  patiently  bear. 
And  in  place  of  terms  respectful  and  complimentary  to 
Mr.  Purviance  for  the  possession  of  powers  for  debate, 
such  as  he  had  exhibited,  he  in  expressions  rude  and 
unkind  alluded  to  the  humbleness  and  obscurity  of  the 
life  and  fortunes  of  Mr.  P. ;  alleging  that  it  was  imperti- 
nent and  presuming  for  one  so  obscure  and  wholly  with- 
drawn from  the  walks  of  public  life,  so  unskilled  in  the 
jurisprudence  of  the  State,  as  he  was,  to  assail,  in  the 
manner  he  had  done,  the  policy  and  measures  of  one  so 
aged  and  so  skilled  in  this  respect  as  himself;  and  that 
he  would  not  trouble  himself  or  detain  the  house  by  argu- 
ments in  reply  to  a  speech  from  such  a  quarter. 

Mr.  Purviance  again  arose,  and  in  much  composure 
said  he  admitted  to  the  utmost  extent  the  truth  of  Mr. 
Breckinridge's  allusions  to  his  poverty  and  obscurity ; 
that  hitherto  his  life  had  been  passed  in  entire  seclusion 
from  the  theater  of  public  men  and  measures  ;  that  his 
days  had  been  engaged  in  the  culture  of  a  little  farm  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  his  growing  family  ;  and  that 
to  the  wealth,  the  honors  and  blandishments  of  life,  with 
which  Mr.  Breckinridge  was  surrounded,  he  could  never 
aspire.  In  these  advantages  that  gentleman  was  far  in 
advance  of  his  humble  pretensions.  Nevertheless,  he  had 
supposed  that  in  his  character  of  representative  of  a  free 
and  independent  constituency  he  had  the  right  to  discuss 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  221 

any  measure,  or  oppose  any  bill,  introduced  before  that 
house,  provided  he  did  so  in  a  manner  respectful  to  the 
house  and  rules  of  debate.  These  remarks  he  made  with 
such  candor  and  meekness,  with  such  kindness  and  for- 
bearance, as  started  a  tear  from  many  an  eye.  Mr. 
Breckinridge  found  himself  to  be  so  signally  rebuked 
that  he  rose  in  apology,  which  calmed  the  excited  feel- 
ings of  the  friends  of  Mr.  Purviance.  As  to  himself,  he 
had  no  grievances  to  be  atoned  for.  If  the  audience  had, 
a  few  moments  before,  been  astonished  to  admiration  at 
Mr.  Purviance's  powers  in  debate,  they  were  now  over- 
whelmed at  the  unexampled  kindness  and  forbearance  of 
the  Christian  philanthropist. 

The  bill  of  "Sir.  B.  was  now  put  to  vote,  and  was 
rejected  by  a  signal  majority. 

[Note. — Col.  Samuel  Burke,  of  Cumberland  County, 
Kentucky,  a  man  of  excellent  sense,  but  one  who  it  seems 
did  not  think  (of  himself)  more  highly  than  he  ought  to 
think,  was  accustomed,  in  his  day,  to  tell  occasionally  the 
following  anecdote. 

I  was  first  elected  a  member  of  the  Kentucky  House 
of  Representatives  in  the  spring  of  1797.  The  session 
met  in  November  of  that  year,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
after  the  house  had  been  organized,  and  was  progressing 
with  the  business  of  the  commonwealth,  I  became  con- 
vinced that  I  had  mistaken  my  proper  vocation,  when  I 
left  the  walks  of  private  life  and  turned  lawmaker.  And 
I  thought  I  saw  other  members  also  who  had  as  little 
business  there  as  myself.  Of  this  class  there  were,  as  I 
thought,  a  goodly  number. 

But  David  Purviance,  from  Bourbon,  and  a  Mr.  Wm. 
Haycraft,  from  one  of  the  southern  counties  of  Ken- 
tucky, I  took  to  be  two  members  peculiarly  defective  in 
respect  to  qualifications  for  the  station  in  which  we  were 


222  THE    CAXE    RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

then  unluckily  found.  But  it  must  be  remembered,  I 
knew  them  not,  and  formed  my  opinion  from  external 
appearances  only.  I  played  Lavater,  but  how  well  is  to 
be  seen,  said  Mr.  Burke. 

I  was  fond  of  companions,  but  chose  to  associate  with 
none  but  my  equals.  These  two  new  friends,  I  made 
sure,  would  suit  me  in  that  respect,  and  I  would  seek  an 
intimacy,  mainly  for  the  reason  that  they  were,  as  legis- 
lators, at  least  as  deficient  as  myself. 

Well,  I  did  so,  and  things  went  on  pretty  much  to  my 
notion  for  some  week  or  two.  It  is  true  at  times  I  began 
to  distrust  Purviance  a  little,  but  on  the  whole  considered 
him  safe ;  no  danger  of  his  deceiving  me.  Billy  Haycraft 
I  never  doubted,  for  he  never  gave  me  the  least  cause  to 
suspect  him  ;  and  why  should  I  ?  But  as  all  sublunary 
hopes  are  liable  to  disappointment,  so  my  expected  reli- 
ance on  my  two  companions,  as  every  way  qualified  for 
my  society,  at  least  so  far  as  Mr.  P.  was  concerned,  was 
suddenly  and  forever  defeated. 

That  renowned  statesman,  John  Breckinridge,  then  a 
member  of  the  house  from  Fayette,  introduced  an  impor- 
tant and  favorite  bill,  which  he  advocated  in  a  powerful 
and  imposing  speech.  Y\  nen  he  had  closed,  and  taken 
his  seat,  no  member  seemed  courageous  enough  to  ven- 
ture a  reply  For  a  few  moments  all  was  anxiety.  Noth- 
ing was  heard.  But  in  the  midst  of  the  deep  silence  and 
suspense,  who  should  arise  to  reply  to  Mr.  B.  but  Mr.  P., 
a  man  of  my  own  sort,  as  I  had  supposed. 

The  whole  audience,  members  and  lookers-on,  were 
much  surprised.  As  to  myself,  I  was  thunderstruck.  I 
was  truly  at  a  loss  what  to  think  of  the  poor  man  ;  first 
I  was  vexed,  then  I  pitied  him,  for  I  thought  him  harm- 
less, and  was  grieved  that  he  should  in  so  signal  a  man- 
ner expose  his  weakness.     But  it  was  all  a  mistake,  for 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  223 

soon  he  showed  himself  capable  for  the  exigency.  He 
deliberately  went  ahead,  and  delivered  the  best  speech  of 
the  session,  and  sent  Air.  B.'s  bill  adrift;  for  it  was 
rejected  by  acclamation. 

Well,  I  was  rejoiced  at  Air.  P.'s  success,  but  still  I 
was  left  in  a  worse  fix  than  ever ;  none  to  console  me 
now  but  Air.  Haycraft,  for  Air.  Purviance,  it  was  demon- 
strably clear,  had  deserted  our  ranks  forever,  and  placed 
himself  where  we  could  never  approach  him. 

But  it  is  due  to  that  worthy  man,  Billy  Haycraft,  for 
such  in  truth  he  was,  to  say  that  he  never  deceived  me  ; 
he  abided  faithful.  He  and  I  served  together  through 
that  session,  and  three  others  in  succession,  and  he 
proved  himself  to  the  last  to  be  just  the  man  I  had  taken 
him  for  on  first  sight.] 

The  facts  on  which  the  foregoing  anecdote  is  founded 
were  furnished  to  the  author  of  it  by  Wm.  Mitchell,  Esq., 
an  old  colleague,  from  Bourbon,  of  Air.  P.  for  a  number 
of  sessions.  Air.  Alitchell  now  resides  in  the  county  of 
Lewis,  in  Kentucky,  which  latter  county  he  has  also 
represented  in  the  State  Legislature.  In  his  letter  to  the 
writer,  dated  May  4,  1848,  Air.  Alitchell  says:  "I  con- 
sidered Air.  P.,  as  a  legislator,  equal  to  any  man  of  his 
day.  He  mastered  any  subject  he  undertook.  And  as  a 
citizen  and  a  Christian,  he  was  surpassed  by  none."  The 
attempt  to  revive  the  original  jurisdiction  of  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  in  respect  to  suits  for  lands  was  also  repealed 
at  the  same  session  of  the  Legislature,  and  thus  fell  pros- 
trate in  the  dust,  a  second  time,  these  expensive  and  mis- 
chievous measures  in  the  legislation  of  the  country  ;  and 
although  half  a  century  ago,  they  have  never  shown  the 
slightest  signs  of  returning  life,  demonstrating  beyond 
question  that  the  obscure  farmer  of  Cane  Ridge,  and  not 
the  astute  lawyer  of  Fayette,  best  understood  and  appre- 


224  THE    CANE    RIDGE    MEETIXG-HOUSE 

ciated  the  wishes  and  true  policy  of  the  people.  Now  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  young  commonwealth 
were  the  great  body  of  the  community,  the  farmers,  able 
to  claim  from  their  own  ranks  a  champion  in  every  way 
fitted  to  guide  and  defend  their  true  interests.  Such  a 
man  was  David  Purviance.  He  was  honest  and  capable 
for  any  exigency,  as  he  proved  himself  to  be  on  many 
occasions  during  that  and  subsequent  sessions  of  the 
Legislature.  Although  a  plain  farmer,  Mr.  P.  was,  a  few 
days  after  his  debate  with  Mr.  B.,  added  to  the  committee 
of  courts  of  justice;  a  high  compliment  this,  and  illus- 
trative of  the  repute  in  which  he  was  held. 

During  the  whole  course  of  his  legislative  history  in 
Kentucky  he  was  one  of  the  most  attentive  members  of 
the  House  of  Representatives.  From  an  entire  perusal 
of  the  old  manuscript  journals  of  the  sessions  of  1797-8, 
the  name  of  David  Purviance  is  found  recorded  on  every 
call  of  the  ayes  and  noes. 

Himself  and  Breckinridge  were  continued  as  mem- 
bers of  the  house,  during  several  sessions  after  the  one 
in  question,  and  their  intercourse  wras  frank  and  respect- 
ful. Purviance  always  spoke  of  Mr  Breckinridge  as  a 
great  and  safe  statesman. 

Felix  Grundy,  whose  fame  as  a  lawyer,  jurist  and 
statesman  of  eminent  ability  has  now  been  before  the 
public  for  half  a  century,  was,  as  early  as  the  session  of 
1796,  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  from  Washington 
County,  in  the  southern  part  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Breckin- 
ridge was  also  a  member.  He,  as  has  been  stated,  was 
from  the  county  of  Fayette,  in  the  northern  section  of 
the  State. 

At  the  session  the  Green  River  settlers,  as  they  were 
styled,  forwarded  a  petition  to  the  Legislature,  praying 
indulgence  for  the  installments  there  due  the  common- 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  225 

wealth  for  lands  they  had  purchased  from  the  Govern- 
ment. Mr  Grundy  from  the  first  espoused  their  cause, 
and  was  soon  styled  the  southern  or  Green  River  cham- 
pion. Mr.  B.  opposed  the  indulgence  asked  for,  and  he 
in  turn  was  dubbed  the  northern  champion. 

During  that  session,  and  many  a  subsequent  one,  the 
subject  of  Green  River  relief  was  agitated  in  the  house, 
and  many  fierce  encounters  in  debate  between  the  two 
champions  happened,  Grundy  generally  the  victor.  When 
Purviance  became  a  member  in  1797,  as  has  been  stated, 
he  found  the  petitioners  before  the  house,  and  witnessed 
the  debates  of  Mr.  Grundy  and  Mr.  B.  upon  the  merits 
of  their  case.  Mr.  P.  took  no  share  in  the  debates,  but 
as  the  settlers  were,  generally  poor,  and  money  hard  to 
be  obtained,  he  voted  with  Mr.  Grundy  for  the  relief 
prayed  for. 

But  at  length,  at  the  session  of  1799,  Mr.  Grundy 
introduced  a  bill,  for  relief  in  behalf  of  the  settlers,  so 
objectionable  as  to  determine  Purviance,  should  it  be- 
come necessary,  to  oppose  it.  It  was  hotly  combated 
between  the  two  champions  for  several  days,  Grundy  as 
usual  victorious. 

Purviance  now  saw  that,  unless  checked  from  some 
other  quarter,  Grundy  would,  as  usual,  succeed  in  getting 
his  bill  successfully  through  the  house.  But  as  himself 
and  Grundy  were  on  the  best  of  terms,  and  moreover 
had  usually  gone  together  in  respect  to  the  subject  in 
question,  he  resolved  on  a  private  conference,  in  which 
he  urged  on  Mr.  Grundy  to  make  an  amendment  so  as  to 
make  his  bill  more  palatable.  Mr.  Grundy  listened  with 
respectful  attention  to  the  proposed  amendment  of  his 
friend  Purviance,  but  was  unwilling  to  yield,  the  more 
especially  as  he  was  sanguine,  from  what  so  far  had 
taken  place  in  the  discussion,  that  he  would  be  able  to 


226  THE    CAXE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

get  his  measure  passed  in  its  present  shape,  and  the  con- 
ference ended. 

But  when  the  bill  was  next  brought  up  by  Mr. 
Grundy  for  further  debate,  Purviance  moved  to  adopt 
his  amendment,  which  was  stoutly  resisted  by  Mr. 
Grundy,  and  an  animated  debate  sprang  up  between 
them,  and  at  length  the  amendment  of  Purviance  was 
adopted  by  a  slight  majority. 

Grundy  felt  himself  somewhat  disappointed;  this  was 
what  he  was  not  accustomed  to.  But,  as  a  man  of  great 
resource,  he  bethought  himself  of  a  remedy,  as  he  sup- 
posed, for  the  defeat  he  had  sustained,  and  at  once 
sought  to  avail  himself  of  the  expedient:  it  was  to  pro- 
cure an  amendment  to  the  amendment  of  Purviance. 

This  amendment  of  Mr.  Grundy  was  so  cunningly 
shaped  as  to  nullify  the  amendment  of  Purviance  if 
accepted.  But  the  latter  had  the  sagacity  to  perceive  the 
snare  laid  for  him,  and  he  attacked  and  exposed  the 
maneuver  without  gloves;  and  after  a  spirited  debate  it 
was  rejected  by  an  increased  majority  Mr.  G.  was  now 
not  only  disappointed,  but  vexed.  He  had  not  found  it 
thus  when  he  had  done  battle  with  Breckinridge. 

Though  perplexed,  he  was  not  in  despair.  Mr. 
Grundy  was  not  the  man  for  despair,  but  expedients, 
and  he  now  resorted  to  one  rare  indeed.  Contrary  to 
usage,  he  asked,  and  obtained  leave,  to  withdraw  his 
bill,  with  the  amendment  of  Purviance  appended.  This 
accomplished,  he,  to  the  surprise  of  the  house,  came  for- 
ward in  a  few  days  with  a  bill  entirely  new  ;  at  any  rate, 
the  heading  and  verbiage  was  new,  if  the  former  sub- 
stance was  retained.  The  head,  or  preamble,  of  the  new 
bill  was  remarkable  for  its  plausibility,  be  its  provisions 
what  they  might ;  and  his  introductory  speech  in  its 
behalf  was  of  a  very  soothing  and  specious  character. 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  227 

Mr.  Purviance  had  now  become  wearied  with  this  man- 
agement of  his  friend,  Mr.  Grundy,  and  he  arose  in  a 
speech  against  it  as  soon  as  the  latter  took  his  seat. 

At  the  commencement  he  was  rather  humorous,  a 
thing  very  unusual  with  him,  being  a  man  of  great 
gravity ;  this,  however,  but  served  to  increase  the  humor. 
The  head  of  his  friend's  new  bill,  he  said,  was  a  most 
beautiful  and  captivating  production — its  eloquence,  too, 
so  persuasive  as  to  be  almost  .irresistible.  For  these  and 
many  other  reasons  that  might  be  urged  he  should  be 
glad,  he  remarked,  to  preserve  it  alive,  if  indeed  it  could 
survive  the  dissolution  of  the  corrupt  and  diseased  body 
to  which  it  was  allied.  Should  that,  however,  be  imprac- 
ticable, then  it  must  submit  to  its  fate,  for  the  body  of 
the  bill  was  too  loathsome  to  be  preserved. 

Having  indulged  in  these  innocent  and  playful  re- 
marks, Mr.  Purviance  assumed  his  wonted  earnestness, 
and  proceeded  in  his  attack  upon  the  bill  of  Mr.  Grundy 
with  a  force  and  perspicuity  so  clear  and  convincing  as 
to  result  in  its  immediate  rejection  by  a  still  greater 
majority.  Xow  defeated  at  every  point,  Mr.  Grundy 
became  quite  in  a  bad  humor,  a  thing  very  unusual  for 
him.  That  evening  he  visited  Col.  James  Garrard,  who 
was  then  Governor  of  Kentucky.  He  soon  perceived  that 
Mr.  Grundy  was  in  an  unpleasant  mood,  and  the  follow- 
ing dialogue  took  place  between  them. 

"What,  Felix!  has  Breckinridge  whipped  you  to-day, 
that  you  appear  to  be  in  a  pet?" 

"Breckinridge,  indeed!"  replied  Mr.  Grundy:  "you  of 
the  north  speaking  of  him  as  your  champion  ;  but  I 
regard  him  not.  I  have  battled  with  him  many  a  time ! 
nay,  more,  have  often  thrashed  him  soundly." 

"Pray  tell  me,  then,"  said  the  Governor,  "who  has 
drubbed  you,  Felix,  for  <^me  one  has  I  know?" 


228  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

"Ah!  Governor,"  said  Mr.  Grundy,  "you  pride  your- 
self in  Mr.  Breckinridge  as  a  mighty  man  of  war;  but  I 
repeat,  I  fear  him  but  little  ;  he  is  not  hard  to  defeat. 
But  you  have  another  man  there,  from  the  North.  With- 
draw him  from  the  arena  of  combat,  and  I  will  measure 
arms  with  your  Breckinridge,  and  have  no  fears  for  the 
result." 

"Tell  me,  do  tell  me,  Felix,"  replied  the  Governor, 
"who  that  can  be.  I  thought  you  dreaded  no  member  of 
the  house  but  Breckinridge." 

"Dread!"  said  Mr.  Grundy,  "I  told  you  I  dreaded  him 
not.  Breckinridge  has  no  alarm  for  me.  But  as  you 
seem  desirous  to  know  the  man  to  whom  I  allude,  I  will 
tell  you.  It  is  the  plain  farmer  from  your  own  county 
of  Bourbon,  David  Purviance." 

"Davy  Purviance!  Why,  Felix,  you  surprise  me ! 
Some  fair  Delilah  has  doubtless  shorn  you  of  your 
strength,  that  you  let  Davy  whip  you  in  fair  fight,  for 
he  uses  no  foul  play." 

"Ah!  Governor,  I  can  explain  that  matter,"  said  Mr. 
Grundy;  "there  is  a  dead  majority  of  the  house  that  go 
for  Purviance,  yea  or  nay,  in  all  his  measures  ;  not  only 
so,  but  would  swear  that  all  he  advocates  must  be  sus- 
tained as  right,  just  what  the  country  needs;  and.  on  the 
contrary,  whatever  he  opposes  should  be  rejected  with- 
out much  delay,  by  debate ;  especially  should  Breckin- 
ridge or  myself  chance  to  be  the  opponent." 

"Thank  God,"  said  the  Governor,  "for  the  pleasing 
intelligence  you  give  me,  Felix  ;  it  augurs  well  for  the 
country,  it  betokens  a  healthy  condition  of  the  functions 
of  the  government,  and,  moreover,  promises  success  to 
my  administration  of  its  concerns." 
"Why  so?"  inquired  Mr.  Grundy. 
"Daw  Purviance,"  said  the  Governor,  "is  an  honest 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  229 

man,  and  an  able  and  upright  legislator;  and  I  repeat  it, 
I  thank  God  that  a  majority  of  the  members  have  the 
wisdom  to  perceive  it,  and  the  honesty  and  independence 
to  sustain  him.  Davy  Purviance  has  no  selfish  objects  or 
ends  to  achieve.  He  goes  for  his  country  and  the  best 
interests  of  the  commonwealth.  And  these  are  my  honest 
opinions  of  the  man,  of  his  motives  and  of  his  merits; 
and  you,  Felix,  I  know,  will  unite  with  me  in  the  declara- 
tion of  their  truth." 

Here  Air.  Grundy  became  entirely  relaxed  in  his  feel- 
ings, and  freely  gave  place  to  his  honest  convictions,  and 
heartily  concurred  in  opinion  with  the  Governor  that 
David  Purviance  was  the  great  and  good  man  that  he 
had  represented  him  to  be.  And  as  the  Governor  had 
uniformly  approved  of  reasonable  relief  to  the  settlers, 
he  recommended  to  Air.  Grundy,  before  they  separated, 
to  seek  a  conference  with  Air.  Purviance,  and  for  them 
to  agree  on  a  suitable  bill  to  be  passed  for  their  benefit. 
Air.  Grundy  did  so,  and  the  matter  was  satisfactorily 
arranged  on  behalf  of  the  settlers. 

The  foregoing  anecdote  was  related  to  the  writer  by 
the  Governor  himself  the  summer  before  his  death.  None 
need  doubt  the  truth.  In  the  same  conversation  the 
Governor  remarked  that  he  had  always  considered  it  a 
real  loss  to  Kentucky  that  Air.  Purviance  had  retired 
from  the  legislative  counsels  of  the  State  for  other  pur- 
suits, as  he  had  long  known  that  he  was  one  of  the  most 
able,  efficient  and  faithful  members  he  had  ever  known 
during  the  years  he  had  served  as  Governor  of  the  com- 
monwealth. Air.  Garrard  further  added  that  Air.  Pur- 
viance had  the  unshaken  confidence  of  the  house  during 
the  whole  time  he  was  a  member ;  that  he  rarely  shared 
in  the  debates  on  minor  or  local  questions.  Such  only 
as  were  of  general  interest  commanded  his  notice.     And 


230  THE    CAXE    RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

from  his  permanent  and  abiding  popularity  he  was  gen- 
erally able  to  sustain  his  position  in  respect  to  measures 
of  that  character ;  that  he  was  doubtless  the  only  member 
of  the  house,  from  the  farmer  ranks,  that  was  much 
feared  by  the  legal  gentlemen  of  that  day.  The  latter,  he 
said,  were  many  of  them  able  and  honorable  members; 
but  such  a  man  as  Davy  (  as  the  old  Governor  familiarly 
called  him )  was  quite  able,  and  occasionally  needed,  to 
check  them  a  little,  which  he  did  with  such  meekness  and 
wisdom  as  to  retain  the  respect  of  the  lawyers  themselves. 

At  the  session  of  1798,  the  act  establishing  a  peni- 
tentiary was  passed,  which  was  supported  by  Mr.-  Pur- 
viance ;  and  its  existence  for  half  a  century  has  been 
approved,  and  is  still  cherished,  as  a  wise  and  humane 
institution.  At  the  same  session  was  passed  the  law 
authorizing  the  call  of  a  convention  to  revise  the  first 
constitution  of  Kentucky,  which  had  been  formed  in  the 
year  1792.  That  act  was  advocated  by  Purviance,  Breck- 
inridge and  Grundy,  for  all  three  were  for  a  revision  of 
the  constitution,  but  with  motives  totally  different.  Pur- 
viance and  his  party,  in  the  Legislature,  wished  the  com 
stitution  to  be  so  amended  and  organized  as  ultimately 
and  gradually  to  abolish  in  Kentucky  the  institution  of 
slaverv.  Mr.  Breckinridge  and  his  friends  wished  the 
constitution  amended  as  to  many  of  its  provisions,  but 
were  entirely  averse  to  interfering  in  any  way  with  the 
question  of  slavery,  unless  to  rivet  the  chains  of  the 
bondman  more  securely. 

At  the  annual  election,  held  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
[798,  Mr.  Purviance,  Governor  Garrard,  William  Gar- 
rard, and  three  others  on  the  same  side,  were  candidates 
in  Bourbon  for  a  seat  in  the  convention,  these  to  be 
chosen  for  the  purpose  of  amending,  or  rather  forming, 
a  new  constitution.     These  gentlemen  were  in  favor  of  a 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  231 

plan  for  the  gradual  emancipation  of  the  slaves.  Six 
other  gentlemen  were  also  candidates  who  were  in  favor 
of  the  institution  of  slavery  as  it  then  existed  in  Ken- 
tucky. 

The  canvass  was  truly  one  of  much  excitement,  but 
the  result  was  unfavorable  to  Air.  Purviance  and  his 
friends  on  the  slave  question.  His  popularity  had  well- 
nigh  elected  him,  although  Bourbon  was  a  strong  slave 
county.  At  the  same  election  Air.  Purviance  was  re- 
turned a  member  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  not- 
withstanding the  prejudice  attempted  to  be  raised  against 
him  as  an  emancipator.  Many  noble  spirits  in  Kentucky 
were  with  him  even  on  that  question,  among  them  Henry 
Clay ;  but  it  is  a  fact  that  only  one  member  in  the  State 
was  elected  as  an  emancipator. 

Mr.  Breckinridge  and  Mr.  Grundy  were  both  chosen 
members  of  the  convention  that  formed  the  present  con- 
stitution of  Kentucky — were  both  opposed  to  the  eman- 
cipation principles — and  to  these  two  gentlemen  mainly 
is  attributed  the  work  of  the  present  constitution.  That 
instrument  has  enjoyed  an  existence  of  now  nearly  half 
a  century,  but  the  signs  of  the  times  at  present  portend 
its  certain  and  speedy  dissolution. 

Had  the  gradual  emancipation  principle  contended 
for  by  Mr.  Purviance  been  adopted  by  the  convention, 
the  existence  of  slavery  in  Kentucky  would  now  be  ex- 
tinct. But  that  favorable  moment  for  action  on  this 
interesting  and  imposing  question  was  permitted  to  pass 
off  without  the  country  availing  itself  of  the  favorable 
action  on  this  momentous  subject  then  within  its  grasp. 
The  question  is  doubtless  one  of  great  magnitude,  and  is 
at  the  present  time  greatly  agitating  the  Union.  What 
may  be  its  results,  time,  the  only  sure  revelator  of  the 
future,  must  unfold. 


232  THE    CANE    RIDGE   MEETIXG-HOUSE 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  here  offer  a  few  facts 
and   reflections   in   respect  to  those  mighty   spirits   who 
shared  so  largely  and  acted  so  distinguished  a  part  in  the 
political   scenes  that   so   agitated  the  country  about  the 
close  of  the  last  and  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 
And,  first,  Air.   Breckinridge.     At  the  session  of  the 
Legislature  begun  in  November,  1799,  we  find  him  still 
a    member    from    Fayette,    and    by    unanimous    consent 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  house.     At  the  session  of  1880  he 
received  again  the  unanimous  vote  of  that  body  for  the 
same  station.     But  ere  the  session  of   1800  expired,  he 
was  by  the   joint  concurrence  of  both   branches  of  the 
Legislature  chosen  Senator  of  the  LTiited  States   and  on 
the  4th  of  March,   1801,  we  find  him  at  his  post  in  the 
Senate  Chamber  ready  to  aid  Mr.  Jefferson,  when  first 
inducted  into  office  as  President  of  the  United  States,  in 
conducting  the  Government  back  to  true  republicanism. 
The  next  year  Air.  Breckinridge  received  from  Air. 
Jefferson   the   appointment   of   Attorney-General   of   the 
United  States,  and  of  course  was  a  member  of  Air.  Jef- 
ferson's Cabinet.     He  had  now  ascended  the  ladder  of 
fame,  almost  to  its  topmost  rung;  had  sustained  among 
sages  and  patriotic  statesmen  his  highest  stand  and  with  a 
firm  hold.     With  the  President  he  was  a  great  favorite. 
But  alas  for  worldly  renown  !     Death,  in  the  height  of 
his  earthly  glory,  touches  the  bubble  and  it  breaks.     The 
next  news  that  is  heralded  abroad  notifies  the  admirers 
of  this  truly  great  statesman  that  he  has  exchanged  his 
seat  in  the  Cabinet  for  a  lodgment  in  the  grave.     He  died 
in    December,    1806,  at  the  vigorous  and  manly  age  of 
forty-six  years. 

Colonel  Garrard  continued  in  the  office  of  Governor 
to  the  end  of  his  second  term,  which  expired  in  Septem- 
ber, 1804,  and  then  retired  to  his  county-seat,  in  Bourbon 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  233 

County,  a  few  miles  below  Paris,  on  Stoner,  where  he 
spent  the  evening  of  his  life  in  tranquility  and  was  much 
respected.  His  colloquial  qualities  were  both  entertain- 
ing and  instructive,  and,  possessing  an  ample  fortune,  he 
received  and  entertained  in  good  and  welcome  style  the 
numerous  friends  he  had  made  in  both  private  and  public 
life.  His  old  friend  Purviance  rarely  passed  him  with- 
out a  call. 

He  had  long  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
but  he  was  not  a  sectarian.  His  piety  was  of  a  liberal 
and  enlarged  character,  both  in  respect  to  his  religious 
faith  and  benevolent  acts.  He  died  a  Christian  in  a  good 
old  age,  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers.  He  departed 
this  life  January,  1822,  in  the  seventy- fourth  year  of  his 
age. 

Air.  Grundy,  at  the  time  of  removal  from  Kentucky 
to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  or  just  before,  was  chief  justice 
of  Kentucky.  He  was  frequently  elected  to  Congress 
from  Tennessee ;  was  also  Senator  in  Congress  and 
Attorney-General  during  the  administration  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren.  At  the  close  of  that  administration  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  Senate.  Air.  Grundy  was  also  a  church- 
man. His  associations  with  Christians  were  liberal.  At 
the  time  of  his  demise  he  was  still  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Senate.  He  died  about  1842  at  the  age 
of  some  sixty-six. 

But,  as  our  chief  business  is  with  the  life  of  that 
excellent  man,  David  Purviance,  while  a  citizen  of  Ken- 
tucky, we  shall  close  with  a  few  brief  remarks  in  respect 
to  him.  His  last  session  was  in  1802-3 ;  he  was  a  promi- 
nent actor  in  that  body  during  the  seven  or  eight  ses- 
sions he  served.  The  Lexington  Insurance  Company, 
with  banking  powers  conferred,  was  a  work  of  the  ses- 
sion of   1802;  it  was  opposed  by  Purviance.     And  the 


234  THE   CANE   RIDGE   MEETING-HOUSE 

evils  that  grew  out  of  that  institution  proved  a  curse  to 
the  country,  and  at  the  same  time  evinced  the  sagacity 
of  Mr.  Purviance. 

At  the  same  session  the  district  courts  system  was 
abolished,  and  the  present  circuit  system  of  courts  was 
enacted,  and  has  worked  well.  Purviance  worked  hard 
for  the  circuit  system,  but  was  stoutly  opposed  by  the 
court  party,  as  it  was  then  styled,  consisting  of  the 
judges,  clerks  and  the  bar.  The  latter  class,  however, 
to  their  honor,  be  it  noticed,  aided  in  the  good  work  of 
reforming  the  judiciary.  The  circuit  courts  still  exist, 
and  are  popular  with  the  community.  And  here  closes 
the  political  life  of  David  Purviance  in  Kentucky. 

As  early  as  the  year  1803  he  had  resolved  that  in  the 
future  the  ability  with  which  his  Maker  had  blessed  him 
should  be  employed  chiefly  in  preaching  to  his  fellow- 
men  that  religion  which  he  had  found  to  be  so  precious 
to  his  own  heart.  If  ordained  to  the  ministry,  of  neces- 
sity he  must  decline  political  life  in  Kentucky;  for  the 
constitution  inhibits  that  class  of  individuals  from  the 
halls  of  legislation. 

But  he  in  this  respect  was  firmly  fixed  in  his  purpose 
to  proclaim  and  enforce,  to  the  acceptance  of  man- 
kind, that  Christian  faith  and  practice  which  he  had  so 
long  realized  to  be  of  more  true  and  abiding  value  than 
the  attainments  of  earth.  At  the  time  Mr.  Purviance 
retired  from  the  councils  of  the  State  his  political  char- 
acter stood  high.  His  prospects  were  flattering  in  the 
extreme.  All  this  he  must  have  been  fully  aware  of, 
meek  and  unambitious  though  he  might  be.  Yet  we  find 
he  had  resolved,  and  that  was  enough,  as  we  have  again 
witnessed  in  respect  to  this  man  of  true  and  undaunted 
moral  courage.  Like  Moses,  he  chose  rather  to  submit 
to  poverty,  and  the  loss  of  worldly  fame,  with  his  Chris- 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID   PURVIANCE  235 

tian  brethren,  a  poor  and  despised  little  band,  than  to 
enjoy  in  all  their  glory  the  emoluments  and  honors  of 
public  life  and  worldly  fame  for  a  brief  season 

We  have  said  that  David  Purviance  was  not  ambi- 
tious;  and  he  was  not,  after  the  sort  the  sons  of  this 
vain  world  call  ambition.  Yet  he  was  not  without  ambi- 
tion to  God.  He  was  ambitious  that  his  name  should  be 
enrolled  in  heaven,  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  Then, 
however  it  might  be  disregarded  on  earth,  it  would  be 
had  in  honor  and  lasting  remembrance  before  the  Lord. 
This  of  all  distinctions  he  considered  by  far  the  noblest. 

In  the  year  1803,  as  ^s  known  to  all,  Barton  W.  Stone, 
and  other  clergymen,  seceded  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  shortly  after  instituted  upon  the  Bible  a 
church  and  styled  it  Christian  Church.  David  Purviance 
was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  at  Cane  Ridge,  and  he 
united  with  Stone  and  others,  and  was  shortly  after  or- 
dained to  the  ministry.  He  preached  extensively  and  to 
great  profit.    . 

He  was  the  first  preacher  in  the  Christian  Church,  so 
styled,  that  publicly  repudiated  infant  baptism  and  in- 
sisted that  the  immersion  in  water  of  a  believing  penitent 
was  the  only  baptism  known  to  the  Xew  Testament. 
Elder  Purviance  has  given  a  history  of  the  first  immer- 
sion that  took  place  in  the  Christian  Church,  in  a  recital 
of  some  early  events,  furnished  by  him  to  the  biographer 
of  B.  W.  Stone,  which  may  be  found  on  the  twelfth  page 
of  the  "Life  of  Stone."  That  account  is  unquestionably 
true.  The  writer  was  present  and  witnessed  the  occur- 
rences of  that  memorable  day.  It  took  place  early  in  the 
month  of  July,  in  the  year  1807.  That  fall  Elder  Pur- 
viance removed  to  Ohio.  His  departure  from  the  church 
at  Cane  Ridge  was  deeply  regretted. 

But  he  returned  on  many  a  visit,  and  was  always  wel- 


236  THE    CAXE   RIDGE    MEETING-HOUSE 

corned  in  the  most  cordial  and  affectionate  manner.  He 
proved  a  blessing  to  many  pious  souls  in  his  old  Cane 
Ridge  Church  on  such  visits.  Many  and  many  of  his 
wise  and  affectionate  discourses  are  still  vivid  and  warm 
to  the  heart  of  the  writer,  and  he  trusts  will  be  more  and 
more  operative  till  we  meet  again  and  embrace  each 
other  in  the  kingdom  of  glory. 

The  writer  now  closes  these  hasty  sketches  of  the 
political  life  and  times  of  Mr.  Purviance.  His  Christian 
character,  private  and  public,  he  earnestly  recommends 
to  the  pen  of  the  able  and  faithful  historians  who  shall 
portray  to  the  world,  in  its  just  light,  the  virtues  and 
excellencies  of  this  amiable  and  venerated  man  of  God. 

William  Rogers. 


State  of  Pennsylvania,) 

lion.      ^ 


County  of  Union. 

I,  George  M.  Slifer,  Notary  Public  in  and  for  Union 
County,  Pennsylvania,  do  hereby  certify  that  E.  A.  De- 
Yore  and  Arthur  X.  DeYore  personally  appeared  before 
me  and  being  duly  sworn  testified  that  the  foregoing 
thirteen  pages  of  typewritten  matter  is  a  true  and  accu- 
rate copy  of  pages  16  to  45  inclusive.  Being  a  short 
portion  of  Chapter  III.,  introductory  and  all  of  Chapter 
IV '.  from  the  biography  of  Elder  David  Purviance,  which 
was  edited  by  his  son.  Elder  Levi  Purviance,  and  pub- 
lished in  Dayton,  Ohio,  for  the  author  by  B.  F.  &  G.  W. 
Ells  in  1848;  that  the  copy  was  made  by  Arthur  N. 
DeYore  and  was  compared  with  the  original  by  the  as- 
sistance of  E.  A.  DeYore  with  the  book  which  is  now  in 
their  possession. 

To  which  affidavit  they  hereto  affix  their  respective 
signatures.  A.  N.  DeVore,    [Seal] 

E.  A.  Devore.     [Seal] 

Witness:  Ida  G.  DeYore. 


SKETCH    OF   DAVID    PURVIANCE  237 

In  testimony  whereof  I  hereunto  affix  my  signature 
and  notarial  seal  this  26th  day  of  July,  1895. 

[seal]  Geo.  M.  Slifer,  Notary  Public. 

Arthur  N.  DeYore  is  the  eldest  child  of  Rev.  El- 
charles  Arthur  DeYore,  who  is  the  youngest  child  of 
Nicholas  F.  DeYore,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  in  the 
church  with  Elder  David  Purviance  and  Barton  W. 
Stone.  N.  F.  DeYore  was  the  son  of  David  DeYore,  one 
of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Ohio, 
and  in  whose  house  meetings  were  held  for  several  years 
preceding  the  erection  of  Liberty  Chapel,  Brown  County, 
Ohio,  which  is  the  first  meeting-house  erected  by  the 
Christians  in  the  bounds  of  the  Southern  Ohio  Christian 
Conference.  David  DeYore  was  the  son  of  Nicholas 
DeYore,  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  a  friend  of  Wash- 
ington, who  settled  at  Washington,  Kentucky,  and  re- 
sided there  at  the  time  of  the  great  revival  at  Cane 
Ridge  ;  and  at  that  time  withdrew  from  the  Baptists  and 
joined  with  the  Christians,  and  both  he  and  all  of  his 
lineage  above  named  have  continued  only  in  church  rela- 
tionship with  "Christian"  churches  ever  since.  . 

E.  A.  DeYore. 
the  END. 


